Chisel
by JumperthreeDS
Summary: A story of a young princess and tactician, whose destinies unknowingly intertwine on their way to carve out a fate of their own. A special retelling of Fire Emblem: Awakening. The story begins at the beginning of the Valm portion of the game, with 'Marth's' arrival.
1. Of Sacred Blood 1

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

_**Last Edited 1/22/15, credits to 'Ventrust Westwind'.**_

**Of Sacred Blood 1**

_World Conquest._

_The Fight for Everlasting Peace. _

_The war spurred by Valm was called many things. A horrific onslaught of greed. A heroic battle for justice. Whatever the world would remember it as, there was one thing she was certain of. It was a war that had to be won. Not only for justice, nor Ylisse or any country unlucky enough to get caught in the path of the raging bull. She fought to prevent 'that' from happening._

_The war of Valm was but only a piece of a greater scheme the world was being pulled towards. She had shunned fate itself, determined that even if the future was set in stone, the ones carving it could be changed. Despair and hope were the only paths before her. But there was a certain order to the events leading to the doomed world. The future will remain unchanged, if the situation with Valm was not dealt with._

_Little did she know, the upcoming war would be the setting for a certain battle of her own. Between who she was, and what she strived so hard to be._

_She'd reunite with friends, new and old, finding herself to be a part of the large family known as the Shepherds. Among them was a man whose identity remained largely unknown to her until the recent campaign against the Valm Empire. He had supposedly been one of her father's closest friends. She had witnessed his prowess in the art of war during the fight against Gangrel, turning the tides of battle against almost impossible odds. His tactics and quick thinking had won many confrontations many others would call hopeless. Although a man of such renown would surely have been heralded throughout the ages along with the other Shepherds, in her time, his name was hardly mentioned by tongue or pen. An enigma of a man forgotten by history. Although strangers at first, like her father, she would find herself forging a close bond with the man who was said to have held the fate of the war in his hands. _

_They would traverse this unfamiliar territory, their own chisels in hand, to edit destiny, ready to carve out a fate they could call their own._

* * *

><p><em>A week before the campaign against Valm.<em>

"You! H-how are you d-doing this?" said a young man, wincing as his vision began to blur slightly.

"Why is that you close your heart to him?" says a taller, thinner man, with piercing slits of eyes, clad in a familiar looking robe.

"W-what do you mean.."

"Can it be you have truly forgotten?"

"Forgotten what!? G-get.. out.. Get out my head! UGHH.." a strange pressure began to squeeze inside the young man's head.

The taller man softly smiled "Heh, you have grown quite arrogant boy. It appears I have failed you if you have got the nerve to take that tone… with your own father."

"…What?" A million different thoughts raced through his head. It was ludicrous to even begin to think that... But at the same time, who was he to deny the claim outright? After all, he did only have about 2 and a half years worth of actual memory to serve him at this point. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was afraid. Afraid of how much sense it made. His plegian coat, his adept skills at magic, and '_him'. _The Hierophant. The one that could only be described as his spitting image. It was no coincidence that the man held such uncanny resemblance to him.

The taller man smiled once again, knowing just how vulnerable the young tactician was at the moment. "Heh, stop resisting it boy. The power is yours if you would only open your eyes. Come now, search deep and find that this is your destiny."

The pressure in his head began growing.

"Do you not see? Do you not see that your rightful place is not with this band of fools, but at my side? Give yourself to Grima! Those who wish to serve Naga are doomed and are all but walking to their own deaths. They claim to be your friends, child, but they are but an obstacle in the way of you achieving true greatness… Heh heh.."

The young man slowly found himself grabbing his head, doubling over. The pressure in his head was becoming unbearable. "No! Shut up! Just… go! Get out.. of my.. he-"

"Robin!"

The tall man quickly threw a glance to the source of the voice, annoyance plastered on his face, _"_Tchh, that fool of a prince. No matter, the seeds have already been sown. It will only be a matter of time before you realize_. _And that, boy, is the only thing left in the way... Time..._"_

With that, the voice in Robin's head began to fade, along with the image of the man.

The tactician slowly turned and was met with a blue-haired man running up the hill.

"…Chrom?"

"Good lords, Robin, you're a mess! I heard you yelling. Are you all right?" said Chrom with a worried look on his face.

The pain had subsided rather abruptly after the figure disappeared, but Robin's heart was still pounding from the encounter.

"I'm fine… It's fine... I'm alright… " He said in between breaths.

"Fine's a rather poor choice of words given how you're looking right now. What happened?"

Robin paused for a bit, gathering his thoughts and calming himself down.

He looked up to meet Chrom in the eyes.

"Chrom. Validar came to me."

Chrom looked around suspiciously, giving the area a quick survey. They were all alone atop the hill. Any brush or trees one could hide behind were hundreds of meters away. Too far for anyone to have escaped to in such a short time.

"What do you mean? You were the only one up here."

"He came to me in my mind, a mental projection of sorts."

Chrom shot Robin another worried look, before he began, "Your mind?! Well what did h-"

"He said I was his son". Both fell silent for a moment, Chrom clearly shocked at the news.

"Is.. is this true?"

"I don't know, but I also don't know if it's false. It disturbs me to say, but I felt a sort of strange connection between us two. And besides, as odd as it sounds, it would explain a great deal about the situation I'm in…" said Robin softly as he gazed towards the darkness of the distant woods.

Chrom rubbed his forehead, trying to take it all in. "That damned hierophant doppelganger… Could he be his son as well? Your twin maybe?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel as if I'm not really too eager to find out about my past anymore.." said Robin softly. Then the news hit him at once. He began to panic."I mean me? The son of that Validar? For gods' sake Chrom, this might've been the man that tried to kill your... And what's this about Grima!? I do-"

"Hey! Snap out of it!" boomed Chrom, as he shook Robin's shoulder with his hand. "I don't care if Validar's your father or not, and I'm confident I speak for every Shepherd when I say this. You've proven yourself countless times, so have some faith in yourself! Before you're anyone's son, you are yourself. Remember that!"

"..."

Robin smiled softly, hope returning to his eyes. It was true, he was his own person. Despite whatever plans the world had in store for him, ultimately it was him that would choose how to live. He would not let this pull him down. Not after all he'd gone through with them. Son of Validar or not, the Shepherds would always be family to him. He still felt like this affair needed sorting out, but they had bigger problems to deal with.

"Yeah, you're right. I-I don't know what came over me. I am Robin, the tactician of the Shepherds. That's who I choose to be. Thank you, Chrom."

Chrom chuckled in relief, giving Robin a pat on the back,"No problem friend. All of us are in this together, we've got each other's backs. You're lucky I was the only one to see this little episode of yours though. Haha, why, if everyone at camp saw our tactician acting the way you did, sh-"

"MILORD!"

The two frantically spun around to find Frederick rushing uphill on horse.

"Risen! A group of risen have encircled the camp!" said Frederick, hand gripping his lance, clearly ready for battle.

"Risen!? How did this happen? Our sentries.. No.." Chrom said with a panicked expression on his face, disappointed in himself for allowing the company to be caught off guard.

"It's not your fault milord, these Risen are… different from what we've seen so far."

"Different? How so?" asked Robin with an alarmed yet intrigued look on his face.

"They appear to have some form of 'organization' if that's what you could call it. They made a rather stealthy approach on us. But for Risen to act in such a way, to me is unheard of," said Frederick. His eyes squinted as he continued, as if unsure of what he would say next was plausible, "It's as if they're learning from us, or being lead by someone.."

"It's him!" Chrom interjected.

Robin and Frederick were taken aback by the outburst.

"Damn him! It had to be Validar, I'm sure of it. Why else would he ask to meet us at such a location. Frederick, rally everyone in camp able to take up arms. Tell them we fight for our lives."

"Right away", with a small bow, Frederick sped back to camp.

"Let's get going too, Chrom. If we're going to stop Walhart, we Shepherds can't afford to get killed here of all places now can we?" said Robin smirking, determination burning in his eyes.

Chrom nodded in agreement, mirroring the smirk,"Right, I'll be counting on you."

"You know it."

With that, the two ran back to camp.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds had split into three groups consisting of their main force, an aerial division and a team tasked with luring the Risen.<p>

The team in charge of luring the enemy consisted of the more agile Shepherds, such as Lon'qu, Gaius, Robin and Anna. Anna and Gaius' lives of thievery and knack for landing themselves in gods know what sticky and unsavory situations gave them the agility to evade most if not all attacks by the Risen. The two were unmatched in terms of speed among the shepherds, but were closely followed by the nimble swordsman Lon'qu, and Robin, who he had been training in the art of the myrmidon for the last 2 years.

Although the 4 of them were a force to be reckoned with, it was foolish to think that they alone could fend off the entire Risen horde.

Robin's plan was not to engage the Risen with the squad, but rather to be dropped off via fliers into the midst of the the enemy forces to attract their attention, then lead the horde to the bridge while evading the mob and cutting down what they could on the way back.

As soon as a majority of the Risen had followed the small group to the large bridge atop the valley, Chrom signaled the main force of the Shepherds on both sides of the valley to rush from out of the woods onto both ends, effectively trapping most of the Risen on the bridge. With the entrances blocked off, the Shepherds stood their ground to contain the enemy, fighting off any Risen that tried to escape.

The small squad still on the bridge was then extracted by the Pegasus riders, Sumia and Cordelia. With only the Risen left on the bridge, Robin gave the order to spring their trap into action.

The Pegasus Riders returned, along with Nowi in Dragon form, Cherche and Minerva. This time they carried with them the Shepherd's mages, Miriel, Ricken, Tharja, and the newly recruited, but oddly enthusiastic Henry.

With the mages airborne along the side of the bridge, they prepared their Elwind Tomes. As soon as Robin fired an Elfire into the sky from the side of the cliffs, giving the signal to commence, the mages fired. Countless, powerful blasts of wind swept through the bridge. The fliers covered the entire length of the bridge, ensuring the mages thoroughly blew all the remaining Risen off and down into the deep valley below.

A layer of black fog just barely visible at the bottom of the abyss signified that the fall did its job. All that was left was to take care of any remaining Risen that didn't make it onto the bridge in time for the trap.

Needless to say, the enemy met a swift end.

* * *

><p>"And that's why they call me Teach!" said Vaike, gloating as he spun his axe around.<p>

Maribelle and Sully rolled their eyes, while Donnel was in awe of Vaike, genuinely inspired by the man's heroics.

"Tchh, if you call taking down only 10 Risen impressive, then sure." said the usually stoic Lon'qu, who wore a playful smirk.

"Hahah! What have we got here?" started Vaike towards Lon'qu, "Is the pupil really dissing Ol' Teach? Wait a second, wasn't your group in charge of… hmmm.. well... running away?!" Vaike finished with a grin on his face.

Not soon after, Vaike and Lon'qu were engaged in a rather competitive argument regarding who had 'won' the battle. That was until Chrom cleared his throat, then demanded the two knock it off. Unfortunately, by then the other members of the group started joining in on the little competition leading to most of the Shepherds bickering to one another. The debate quickly escalated from who contributed the most, to the point where members began outright mocking one another.

Robin should have seen it coming. Everyone _was _a bit _too_ professional after the repelled invasion at Port Ferox. There was only so much people could take before they needed to vent. It seems that news of some 'Conqueror' taking away their homes was just enough to set them off. Despite the chaos, Robin was glad that they decided to let it out here, rather than in the midst of battle.

"Nyahaha. Say you're pretty good for some weirdo who prances around in her underwear! We Plegians sure are a bunch of characters!" laughed the new recruit Henry.

"...Thank you. By the way, how to do you feel about frogs..." responded the clearly annoyed dark sorceress, who seemed to be plotting a lot more than small talk.

Elsewhere, "I'll have you know that my Minerva is among the finest of all wyverns!" said Cherche proudly.

Nowi pumped a fist in the air as if she had sealed victory, "That's it! You said so yourself! Heh, she's a 'wyvern', not a real 'dragon'. I'm clearly her superior! I'm the only dragon this army needs! Haha!" she taunted, as Cherche began to rebuttal with the fact that girl was not a 'real dragon' herself.

On the far side of the bridge, "And you! Round, metal man! We are supposed to work as pair, yet you go off disappearing just as Gregor was about to send walking corpses crying to mothers! Gregor proposes you hand over title, and that Gregor is one that gets called _'"Kill'em"_ now." cried Gregor as he went on about cowardice on the battlefield.

"Umm.. I never left... and it's _Kellam... _And it's not a title, it's my name.."

To the right, it seemed that Ol' Teach, one of the instigators of the fiasco, was receiving quite the lecture himself. "And what is this 'tenure' you're always blathering about!? I doubt a buffoon such as yourself has ever even seen the insides of any established educational facility," huffed Maribelle.

"Let alone have read a book", Miriel curtly added, a look of disapproval on her face.

Beside her, Olivia looked as if she had something she really wanted to add to their comments, but couldn't muster the courage to say it. Unfortunately for her, Lissa caught wind of this and began snorting in laughter at the red faced dancer.

It seemed that the Exalt was not spared from the carnage, as he could be seen arguing with Frederick about his smothering behavior. "I assure you milord, I've only your best interests in mind."

"Yes Frederick, and I wholeheartedly thank you for your services, but the line must be drawn somewhere."

"I understand how it might upset you, bu-"

"How about that time you put up the posters of me in everyone's tent? Was that in my best interests?! I was naked save for a sword and scale!"

"Milord, that was merel-"

"W-wait! Is that what Robin's always going on about?! Time to to 'tip the scales'?! Gods Frederick, how many people are in on this joke!?" moaned Chrom as he dared to even think of how the public _really_ saw their Exalt.

The Shepherds really were like one big family. A very idiotic one at that.

After deciding that enough steam had been blown, Robin spoke up,"Hey! Hey! Settle down everyone!" he said while working his way through the circle. The commotion began to die down as their tactician called for their attention.

"Now, all of you did an excellent job out there." Everyone stopped and listened to what he had to say.

"First off, it was thanks to the distraction squad that the plan was able to be set into motion in the first place," Gaius and Lon'qu shot a smug look, while Anna gave a little wink towards the 'main force'.

"But it would have fallen apart if the rest of you didn't hold them down at the bridge," he continued. With that, Vaike, Sully, Donnel and the others nodded in agreement, satisfied with their acknowledgement.

"Finally, it's because of the mages and fliers that we were able to finish them off." Robin said with a smile on his face, praising everyone's efforts equally.

The members of the shepherds began laughing and cheered in agreement, finally ending the uproar.

"Haha, that's more like it." said Robin, taking in the sight of the other Shepherds celebrating their victory together.

Compared to everyone else, Robin had always been the voice of reason among them. Sure he enjoyed his share of fun and horseplay, but as their tactician and de facto co-leader of the Shepherds, it was necessary at times for him to put on a serious face and straighten out the group, all the while keeping morale high. With a job as important as his, he had to be able to keep a cool head in such situations.

However, it seems that Robin had deemed that this was _not_ such a situation.

Then, with a smirk," And besides, if we want to talk achievements here, you'd all be goners if it wasn't for _my_ genius tactics." said Robin proudly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ahh screw you Bubbles."

"…"

Chrom slapped his forehead, "…you just couldn't resist…"

A few moments later, Robin was pelted by whatever small objects the other Shepherds were able to pick up.

"Gahh! H-hey! Come now! I-I was just messing around!"

Birds of a feather indeed.

* * *

><p>By now, most of the Shepherds had already made their way back to camp, leaving only Chrom and Robin.<p>

"Good job out there Robin, I mean it. All jokes aside, you really did save our hides back there," said Chrom patting Robin on the back. "Although it's not really like you to put yourself into such a risky situation like that with the distraction team and all. It may sound kind of harsh, but the you from the war in Plegia wouldn't have made it 10 feet! Finally decided to fight on the front lines for once?" said Chrom laughing.

"HA HA. That was 2 years ago Chrom. Besides, due to the momentary peace that your Majesty has graced upon us commoners, a war tactician really wasn't needed anywhere. And you can only run simulations in your head as practice for so long." Chrom cringed at his title.

"Alright, alright, I get it. So, that's why you decided to pick up the sword?"

"Yeah, remember when I'd leave the castle to go on trips every so often? I'd go to Regna Ferox to train with Lon'qu and Vaike"

"Even Vaike? Wow, and you kept this from me? Some friends you guys are…" said Chrom pretending to be hurt.

"Hah, well if you weren't so busy with your 'kingly' duties all the time, and actually spent some time with your pals, maybe we'd have time to train like before. Remember where you started Chrom! "

"Where I...started? I was _born_ into the royal family, Robin."

"Ahh, yes... Fine, next time you need a sparring partner, I'm your guy. If not, send me to the chop block your Highness!", Robin said, eyes closed, hand over chest.

"Hahah fine, just shut up with the Exalt jokes already," said a laughing Chrom as he lightly punched the tactician on the shoulder. "Besides, I'd never think of doing that to you of all people. After all, I wouldn't want another war with Plegia to break out."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Oh you know. The off chance that sending you to the guillotine means that Yliss has just sent Plegia's crown prince to his death." Chrom laughed.

"..Shut up."

"Haha, you see? Now you know how I feel."

"Hah, yeah I guess. And so long as we're on the subject of war here, things wouldn't look so good for Ylisse if _I _were your enemy now would it? I did get awfully attached to my room back in _your_ castle." Robin stated smugly.

Chrom rubbed the back of his head, "Geez, talk like that's how guys like this Walhart is born."

"Yeah haha." Robin laughed.

"Well, we best get back to camp now. Sumia's probably going to give me a tongue lashing because of this scrape I got on my forearm." Chrom stated glumly, dreading the upcoming meeting.

"Tis the life of a married man. Lucky you." Said Robin sarcastically

"Yeah, yeah, I've had enough of that sarca-"

***VWOOOSH***

"W-what?!"

A Risen wielding a Killing Edge had suddenly appeared before them in same effect as that of a Rescue Staff.

It jumped into the air and kicked Robin a few feet away.

"Chrom! Look out!" he called out from the floor.

Chrom grabbed for his Falchion, but the assailant had already lunged toward him, poised to strike.

"Father, no!"

At that moment, a young blue-haired woman jumped from out of the brush. Leaping in front of Chrom, a sword looking eerily similar to the Falchion in hand, she repelled the assailant's strike. She followed up with a swing, but merely grazed his arm. It seems it had no intention of sticking around for a fight. The Risen assassin growled and jumped back, disappearing in the same manner he had arrived.

'An assassination attempt?' Robin thought to himself as he dusted himself off. 'And by a Risen of all things! It even had the mind to retreat after failing.' Remembering Frederick's earlier comment about the Risen's suspicious behavior, he had come to the conclusion that the risen were indeed being controlled. In fact it was not the first time such a thing had occurred, Robin thought as he remembered the tragic deaths of Phila's squadron. Combined with the fact that Aversa had been involved with both incidents made Chrom's accusation against Validar quite solid at this point. 'Heh, crown prince of Plegia huh?' Robin thought to himself, sullenly entertaining the idea.

"Thank gods you're safe," she stated, sighing in relief.

Chrom still in shock, turned towards the blue haired woman," Marth? …you called me 'father'?"

Robin, who was standing a few steps behind the two, was too lost in thought to have heard the small exchange.

"Did I?" replied a flustered Marth. "Well, I… perhaps it's best if we speak in private.."

"…Perhaps it is," said Chrom, the shock refusing to leave his face.

_To be continued..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

***EDITED: I changed a part at the end of the chapter where Robin hears Lucina call Chrom, father. I meant to have removed that a while back but I guess it slipped under my radar. So to clarify, Robin is unaware of anything regarding Lucina's identity. It's important for the next chapter so I really don't believe how I missed that...**

****EDITED: ****To those of you new to this story, the general feedback I'm getting has made this story less likely to be a 'Triangle', so for now, Robin/Lucina fans rejoice!**

**That's the first part down. Yeah, I felt it was kind of slow, but it needs to start somewhere right? The story will be set during the Valm part of the game. Still gotta figure how It'll work it all out, but I've got some ideas. Kind of going for a different angle here, given how I'm trying to set up Robin's character. ****First time doing something of this sort, so I'll get better as I go... hopefully. I've yet to think of a proper title, so I'll stick with 'chisel' for now.**

**But like this first chapter, I'll also focus on the Shepherds. I kind of want to portray them as a tight knit group of friends. A family of sorts. The kind where they can make harsh jokes about one another, yet know that they're all good in the end. For example, Vaike and Lon'qu, and obviously Chrom and Robin. **

**I've also tried to make Robin less of a goody two shoes. He's still the dedicated, hardworking, kind hearted , smart guy that everyone portrays hims as, but I wanted show a side of him that reflects how being around the other Shepherds for as long as he could remember affected his personality. I mean he starts the game off with a blank slate after all, save for a few things here and there, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see things like Lissa's and Henry's mischievousness or Virion's little flirting or Vaike's typical 'guy' behavior rubbing off on him. So yeah, maybe he'll sound like a jerk at times, and when there's a dispute he won't be afraid to cut to the chase or speak his mind even if it means hurting any 'feelings'. Despite, that he'll always mean well. Call it tough love if you want, but that's how I'd imagine it'd be. It's alright to be compassionate and all, but they are in the middle of war. I'll try to make the scenario I'll put such scenes into in a way it will make it seem less like ' wow, what an ass', and more like ' haha, he's got a point there'. Keep in mind that I'm really not going to pull a 180 on his character, just trying to make it less, 'just the average nice guy that everyone counts on' protagonist. I'll also be utilizing the supports in the story. That way if I decide to add 'this' scene, and I feel that 'this' character doesn't seem like he'd/she'd act in such a way at this point in the story, I know that I'd gone and warped the characters or rushed their growth a bit too much.**

**I'll update as soon as I can. I'm currently replaying through the game on Lunatic, and I'm exactly at the part this chapter takes place in. The battle in this chapter was more a flashback since I had already beaten it. Next few battles, I'll try to make more involved and detailed, while not dragging it out too long. I'll update as I make more progress with the game, chapter by chapter, so the events are fresh in my mind. In fact, the second chapter is already in the works since I've yet to cover all the of the events that happened in the 13th chapter of the game.**

**By the by, this story was originally intended be a (Robin x Lucina X Inigo) Triangle of sorts, but i removed any mentionings of it in the first couple of chapters. As it stands now, it could very well work its way back into the main plot, but Inigo himself wouldn't be showing up for another few chapters. So until that time comes, feel free give feedback on whether I should stick with original plan, or make the is a straight Robin x Lucina story.**

**If you took the time read, thanks! See you when I see you.**


	2. Of Sacred Blood 2

**A/N: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO**

**IMPORTANT: I'd also like to add, that if you didn't catch it, I made an edit to the last couple of lines of the previous chapter. It's pretty significant to this chapter, as I had planned for Robin to be unaware of 'Marth' slipping up about her identity. However, for reasons unknown, I did not go back to fix it before posting. So here it is!**

**Of Sacred Blood 2**

Marth walked uphill, with Chrom not too far behind.

She suddenly stopped, deciding their current location would suffice.

"So?" Chrom began, eager to make sense of it all.

Marth looked down for a moment, as if pondering what was to follow.

"To be honest, I don't even know where to begin," she stated.

"Your name would be a fine start. I already know that 'Marth' is just an alias, although I've really nothing better to call you… but I don't mean to pry. I won't ask for anything that you would not wish to reveal yourself. After all you've done Yliss, you've earned your right to secrecy."

A ghost of smile could be seen upon Marth's face,"Thank you, but… no, this has to be done. I'd much prefer that you know the truth."

Chrom gently nodded, urging her to continue.

After a short pause,"Here, look closely… all will be revealed." With that Marth straightened up and marched to Chrom's side. After a deep breath, she turned to face him, looking Chrom dead in the eye.

Chrom looked at the girl quizzically, wondering what such action would prove. Then, he saw it. Sitting proudly upon her left eye, "That's… the brand of the exalt… Lucina…"

_ 'Where'd you learn to fight like that?'_

_ 'From my Father!'_

Chrom was left nearly speechless. His eyes traveled down to her hip, where her sword which was undeniably 'his' Falchion rested. At that moment, his mind was invaded by countless thoughts that only a parent would concern themselves with. Why had she come here? Had she been fighting? Alone?

Chrom decided to finally speak up,"You deserve better from me than one sword and a world of troubles. I'm sorry" Overcome with guilt, it was all he could muster. He kept his gaze away from her, until he found the courage to look her in the eye. To look his daughter in the eye. No matter what her reason was for coming from wherever she came, he felt that somewhere, somehow he had failed as a father if it meant that his own daughter was forced to brave this world alone for gods know how long. He had fully expected to be met with a face full of disappointment.

Instead, he looked up to see that of a young woman, who was undoubtedly forced to grow up far too quick's, usually astute face began to crumble. As if she had suppressed any emotion for far too long. It began with a single tear streaming from her eye, after which the rest of her face slowly followed. A myriad of emotions could be seen on appearing on her. Insecurity, relief, and fear. Not fear of him, but rather of whatever demons had been eating away at the poor girl for so long. Relief, that she had finally been able reveal herself to him. And insecurity, as to how he might react upon the news.

Lucina stood her ground, continuing to look her father in the eye. She was well aware of the state she was in. The image of she, who had masqueraded as the Hero King Marth and had acted as a sort of guardian angel for the people of this time, had been reduced to that of a shivering girl, drowning in sorrow. She had broken down and lost to her emotions. How pitiful she must have looked. She had tried to remain strong, to not let herself get to involved with the people of this time. She had a mission to change fate. ...But she could no longer deny that it silently broke her heart every time she'd meet with the parents she'd lost so long ago, and not be able jump into their arms and tell them how long she had missed them. She felt slightly ashamed of how the events of her reveal unraveled, but there was no going back now. What was done was done, and she told herself she would accept whatever reaction her father might give her.

Chrom stared at the girl who gently began to sob. Contrary to what Lucina might have led herself to believe, it was not weakness that he saw in her. Instead, he saw a strong young woman. One who he imagined had been fighting for too long, who merely needed a well deserved break from all the troubles and evils in this world. To him, she was not some pitiful girl, who'd lost her way like she had feared. Rather, he saw a girl that who at this moment, needed her father. He saw his daughter.

Unable to suppress his emotions as well, Chrom gently opened his arms to her, warmly inviting his daughter to him.

If only for that moment, Lucina no longer cared to shackle herself down with thoughts about her mission or her pride. She allowed herself to finally indulge in the feelings she'd long since locked away. All she cared about at the moment was that her father was finally in front of her, and acknowledging her. She let down any remaining walls she had built up, and for once in nearly 2 or 3 years, willingly allowed herself to open up.

"Father!" she sobbed as she threw herself into his arms. Tightening the embrace as if she feared that he'd soon fade away.

Chrom leaned his head down onto hers,"Shhh, it's okay." He knowingly whispered to his daughter, dispelling anymore insecurities she still might have held.

"Father!"

He continued to let her sob in his embrace, tears beginning to slowly form in his own eyes as he gently rubbed the back of her head. He decided to stay with her like that for as long as she needed.

* * *

><p><em>Shepherd Camp Outskirts<em>

"I love him Robin, and I know I'm a bit of a worrywort, but I fear he'll cause me to worry _myself_ to death long before anything ever happens to him. Besides he said he'd come back right after discussing the results of the battle with you! " sighed Sumia walking alongside Robin whom she demanded take her to her absent husband.

They had been walking for no more than 5 minutes and already Robin was trying his best to deal with Sumia's little episode. She was indeed a wonderful friend of his, but such sides to her were those that only her husband should be so _fortunate_ to see.

"Yeah well... something... came up", Robin stated absent mindedly.

'...'

'Damn it...'

And that little slip-up of a response was exactly how trouble began to brew.

He originally planned to stall her for as long as he believed the meeting between Chrom and Marth could last. But thanks to his big mouth, that plan went right out the window.

To be truthful,this was one of the rare situations Robin had found himself in, in which he himself was unsure of how to proceed. Perhaps because he was rather inexperienced when it came to the dynamics of relationships, or maybe the present situation at a glance had no real cause for urgency, causing his usually sharp mind to.. well take a momentary leave of absence.

He was faced with only two problems at present, yet the odds of getting out of such a situation unscathed made the prospect of taking on Walhart's forces alone seem much more doable.

He considered Marth, who while rarely ever fought alongside the Shepherds save for one occasion, a valuable ally. She, due to undetermined means, was able to foretell future events, and warned the Shepherds of any upcoming tragedies. Not to mention the many times she'd pulled them out of the jaws of death. If she were to request a private audience with no one else but Chrom, it had to be something of great importance. He feared that if he and Sumia were to interrupt the private meeting, it may result in the loss of what could be potentially valuable information regarding the upcoming campaign in Valm.

At the other end of the problem was Sumia. It both pained and annoyed him to see such a close friend so restless. It was only fair that the man's own wife get the right to know of her husband's well being. And at the same time, not taking her to see Chrom and leaving things to her own imagination was how the deadly poison known as suspicion would come to be. He really didn't want to find himself at the cause of any conflict within their household. One, he'd hate to see such friend's of his so miserable. And two, it would be, for lack of better of wording, a pain in the ass. He could only imagine the kinds of rumors spreading throughout the capitol, Whispers of how it was _he_ who sabotaged the royal couple's happy marriage. Perhaps a trip to guillotine wasn't too far off after all...

"What do you mean something came up?" Sumia asked as she stopped walking.

"..."

"Robin? Did something happen to Chrom?" she pleaded desperately.

"..."

When she decided he'd been quiet for too long, she began walking into woods at a fast pace, towards the direction that Robin had told her Chrom was at.

'Shit, I can see the cliffs from here. We're getting close. Think Robin! I've got to calm her down. Even a few seconds could make a difference.'

With that, he hurriedly jogged to Sumia, "H-hey, why the hurry?"

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" she huffed.

"No! N-no! No way! Me? Why would I even _dare _to hide anything from Yliss' beautiful, charming, Queen? Such a lady deserves to be far removed from such commoner squabble", Robin nearly cringed at the only thing he was able come up with. 'I'm the guy who won Plegia with my quick thinking?!' he inwardly groaned.

"...BWAHAHAH! What's with that? HAHA I see you've been spending a bit too much time with Virion ever since he returned. Hahahha"

Fortunately for Robin, his lame attempt at getting back on Sumia's good side had caused her to burst into a small fit of laughter. He noticed when doing so, her pace slowed down drastically.

'Oh my gods, I could do this. Sumia's always been one for jokes, I just need to keep her occupied.'

"Hahaha, really though Robin. Can you tell me what's going on?" Sumia said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

'Quick Robin! You need to come up with the most ridiculous scenarios you can'

"Okay, okay, you got me" he started with a serious tone to his voice.

Sumia slowed down to hear him out.

"You see... remember when the fight broke out amongst us after the battle?"

"Yes."

"It... turns out that..."

"What?"

"Lon'qu was still pretty bitter about what Vaike was saying... so afterwards... him and Gaius... KNOCKED HIM OUT, STRIPPED HIM DOWN, AND TIED HIM TO A TREE. POOR CHROM'S PROBABLY DRAGGING HIS NAKED ASS BACK AS WE SPEAK!"

"Are you joking..."

"..."'

All of a sudden, Sumia erupted into laughter. " Hahaha, I can't believe I fell for that. How vulgar of you!"

'...I don't believe I just said that. But...'

"Hehe, yeah. But no, really. It's because Tharja put a hex on that new guy, Henry. Now, he's apparently some frog hopping about the valley."

"Pshh, that's something I'd actually believe too!"

'More. It's got to be more ridiculous'

"Haha yeah, but in all seriousness, I heard that Ricken got whisked away by... a bunch of wild pegasi."

"Bwahaha, What and then they raised him as one of their own? Ohh Robin, that's the plot to the book I loaned you last month. But I'm glad you actually took the time to read it." Sumia cried, wiping a tear from her eye.

'I've got her pace down to a crawl, keep it up...'

"Uhhh, Gregor got swept downstream saying 'Reflection in river was looking at Gregor funny, Gregor teach it lesson'"

"STOP! Haha, that's pretty mean of you. You're terrible!"

Robin continued the slew of terrible jokes that he was lucky enough to catch Sumia with.

"And finally, it turns out Chrom dropped out of the Shepherds to run away with another girl!"

"Hah, now that's just cruel! Aha, I mean Chrom would never think to do su-"

"Ha ha ha ha..." Robin's feigned laughter died out, along with the remainder of his luck as Sumia let out a sharp, audible gasp.

As soon as Robin had cracked his final joke about Chrom's supposed infidelity, both of them had exited the tree cover and were treated to an awfully scandalous sight. Atop the small hill, Chrom could be seen breaking off a hug then briefly planting a kiss on the cheek of an attractive young woman that Robin knew could've only been Marth. To top it off, it appears she had been crying for some time.

"Well damn" Robin stated out loud, unsure of what to think anymore. He could practically hear the mobs jeering as the guards walked him to chop block.

Sumia who had grown oddly silent, walked past him, slowly curled down, and picked up a nearby flower.

She began plucking at the petals, looking a bit _too_ cheerful given the situation.

Seeing Sumia in such a state snapped Robin out of his stupor.

'Chrom.. You had better have a good reason for this', he thought as he made his way up the hill, his face wearing a mix of disappointment and anger.

* * *

><p>After several minutes, Lucina seemed satisfied enough to slowly break off the hug. Watery eyes and reddish nose made it painfully obvious that she'd been crying, but Chrom had been relieved to see that the only emotion visible on her pale face now was of innocent joy.<p>

Chrom rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder, then leaned in to plant a fatherly kiss on her cheek, causing the young princess to blush.

She was amazed at how little her father had changed in nearly 20 years. She was relieved to see that even as a young man, he was still the warm, doting father she had always known.

She hardly remembered the last time she was able to feel such peace.

Chrom decided to break the silence," Better, Lucina?"

"Yes father... Sorry, it all just came rushing back at once" said Lucina, as she wiped some of the remaining tears from her face.

"Hmm, father..." Chrom softly whispered, as if contemplating.

"I-I'm sorry, should I call you something else?" said a worried Lucina.

"No, no, it's fine." Chrom waved reassuringly, "It's strange to my ear is all... but I like it" Chrom replied with a bashful grin

"Father.. hehe" Lucina, repeated as she let out a small giggle.

"Haha. I'll admit, it will take some getting used to" Chrom chuckled.

*ahem*

Two blue heads snapped to face downhill, to find the visibly upset tactician coming up to meet them.

Lucina took a few steps back to space herself from Chrom as she stared down into the grass, avoiding the tactician's stare.

Robin shifted his attention to the young Exalt,"Ummm, Chrom."

"Oh R-Robin. What is it?" Chrom replied, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Mind telling me what's going on?", Robin said as calmly as he could. As much as he wanted to strike his friend across the face right about now, some part of his conscience decided that despite the situation, he should have _some_ faith in him.

"Well, um. You see..." Chrom began, unsure of how he'd even be able to begin to explain such an unbelievable story.

Seeing his friend fidget, Robin decided to proceed,"Well you see, it's just that you two are here, alone... and Marth is crying..."

Lucina shot him a glare out of embarrassment. 'How much of it had this man seen?' she dreadfully thought to herself.

Unaware of the nasty look he was receiving, Robin continued,"and well that's how ill rumors are born my friend."

Finished saying his piece for now, he looked Chrom in the eye waiting for an explanation.

Chrom, still trying to find the words to explain, looked anywhere but at Robin. As he diverted his attention elsewhere, he saw who he made out to be Sumia, sitting down at the foot of the hill.

Avoiding the interrogation all together, Chrom made his way down to his wife.

Lucina, after seeing her father so flustered, decided to go offer him a hand at explaining the situation, following him downhill.

As she passed him by, Robin could have sworn she shot him a rather unpleased look.

"He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He.." Sumia recited, continuing her flower fortune.

"Err, Sumia? Why in gods name are you shredding those poor flowers?"

Hearing Chrom's voice had snapped her out of whatever trance she had been in, as she came crashing back to reality.

"I-I'm not spying on you! You can't prove that I am" Sumia sputtered as she got up.

Chrom let out a nervous sigh.

Behind Chrom, Sumia could see 'Marth' coming down to meet them.

"Oh gods! You brought... HER!" Sumia choked out, as she turned around, trying her best to hold back a sob.

"Can we tell her Lucina?"

"Yes."

"You don't need to tell me anything! I'm not stupid, I know what thi..." Sumia's outburst died down as something odd registered in her head.

She spun back around, pure confusion on her face,"Lucina? But, wait. That's..."

"Sumia, this is going to be a shock, but you'll have to believe me. This is our daughter, Lucina." said Chrom, just in time for Robin, who made his way back down, to hear. '...What?!'

"Huh?" Sumia replied, unsure of what to think.

"It's true Sumia, I'm your daughter" spoke Lucina, soft, yet proudly. "Look closely" she finished as she walked up to expose her left eye.

"Your eye! It's the Brand... This..."

"Do you see now?" said Chrom.

A wave of panic washed over Sumia," N-No! I don't see! This makes no sense! What does th- wait... Is my Lucina all right? What have you done with her!?"

"Peace Sumia" assured Chrom

"Your baby is still back at the castle, safe and sound. You see... I am her, from another time. A time that has yet to be." said Lucina.

"You mean... the future?" Sumia replied, confusion still on her face.

"Yes, over 10 years hence. After history takes a dark and most destructive turn." said Lucina, as she fought back the terrible images she feared were permanently etched into her mind.

The revelation had piqued Robin's interest causing him to speak up," Wait, what happens in the future?"

Lucina was hesitant to respond to the man, but continued,"Grima, the fell dragon. He's resurrected."

All four fell silent.

Robin began to fight off thoughts of his own as he remembered what Validar had told him earlier.

_ "Give yourself to Grima!"_

Robin pressed on," What happens? To us?"

Lucina closed her eyes," Dead."

Robin felt his heart sink,"All of us? I-I don't, even..."

"A tale that beggars belief, and here we have the proof in front of us. She carries both the Brand and my Falchion. The same sword the First Exalt used to defeat Grima long ago." Chrom spoke up.

"Your blade and mine are one father. It was... all I had left of you" Lucina sad, voice dripping with sadness.

"There's only one Falchion, Robin. I believe her."

"So do I!" a voice cried from the bushes.

They all turned to find Lissa stepping out from the woods.

"Lissa? What are you doing here?" said Chrom.

"I saw Robin and Sumia leaving camp alone, so I followed them out here. Just making sure nothing too interesting didn't happen" Lissa giggled.

"You don't know the half of it", Robin said, rubbing his temple, trying not to recall the hell of a trip over here.

"Anyways, I believe her too! After all, the night she saved me, I saw her fall out a big portal in the sky." Lissa said as she smiled at Lucina.

"Thank you, aunt Lissa" said Lucina, gratefully returning the smile.

Lucina continued her story," The divine dragon, Naga, feared man would have to once again confront Grima . So she devised a ritual, in preparation for that fated day. The ritual allowed one to return to the past in order to alter events already written. I made the journey with some... others... but got separated upon arrival."

"Don't worry Lucy, if they're here, we'll find them!" said Lissa.

Lucina smiled again at hearing the same nickname her aunt gave her back in her timeline.

She turned to see that Sumia had walked up to her.

"...so, you're really my daughter?" Sumia asked softly.

"I swear on my life" Lucina replied assuringly.

"Y-you, grow up- err grew up to be so strong.. so beautiful..." said Sumia, a smile starting to form on her face.

"Thank you... err Sumia..."

Sumia cocked her head in slight disappointment," D-don't you want to call me mother?"

Lucina looked down, slightly ashamed," I.. thought you might mind."

Sumia approached her daughter and rested a hand on her back, bending down to meet her gaze, "Of course not, Lucina! I love you more than anything in the world!" she said, tears forming in her eyes.

*sniff* "Oh, Mother.." Lucina softly breathed, once again setting her emotions free.

Sumia wrapped her arms around her, pressing the girl's head to her chest.

"I'm so proud of you" Sumia said, tears now freely flowing.

"I missed you more than you'll ever now..." cried Lucina into her mother.

Deciding that the family needed its private moment together, Robin made his way back to camp with a small smile on his face.

While passing Chrom, he patted him on the shoulder and leaned into his ear, "I hate you so much" he said, referring to his involvement with the situation, then continued on his way.

Chrom was left trying to decipher what exactly his friend meant.

* * *

><p>Lucina peaked her head outside the tent she had been offered to stay in. It was just about dawn, judging by the orange hue peeking over the cliffs.<p>

'My first day as a Shepherd' she thought to herself, secretly finding joy in being able to fight alongside her family.

Dressed in only boots, pants and a long sleeved shirt, she stepped outside and allowed herself to stretch for a brief period. She had just awoken from one of the most refreshing slumbers she's had in recent memories. She slept soundly that night, free from her more usual cynical or paranoid thoughts. Since meeting with her parents, she had felt a great burden leave her shoulders.

After her stretch, she decided to go on a long walk around the camp, while remembering the events of her induction.

* * *

><p><em>The previous night: Shepherd Camp<em>

After her moment with her mother and then aunt Lissa, they had all returned to the campsite. After bringing her a quick, but satisfying meal, they brought her to the meeting hall to introduce her to everyone.

When they entered the large tent, she noticed that not all of the Shepherds had arrived, but had easily recognized those who were there. She allowed herself a small smile as she scanned the room of familiar faces. Maribelle looked as prim and proper as ever. Lucina chuckled inwardly as she remembered the arguments she and her son would get into over his manner of speaking. Stahl, Frederick and Cordelia, close friends of her father, whom she grew up considering uncles and aunts, were seated at the corner of the room polishing their weapons. Henry was sitting alone, happily reading a book. Despite his eccentric behavior, she had always thought quite fondly of him growing up, as his outgoing personality made him easy to get along with. Much like his son, but well, a bit more odd. To the back was Lon'qu and Lissa seated together at a table. Lon'qu's chair a little farther from the table than how a normal person would sit. She smiled openly upon seeing them. She remembered what occurred at Arena Ferox while she was still under the guise of Marth. She felt guilty, but was happy that she at least had not messed _this_ up. She continued scanning the room, reminiscing about her interactions with the variou Shepherds growing up. Finally at the center of the room, at a table to himself, was _him._

The lone stranger among the group of otherwise familiar faces. Robin, the Shepherd's tactician, was currently preoccupied with a large map he had laid out on the table. Judging by the small markings all over the continent of Valm, she concluded he must have been preparing for the upcoming campaign. She had thought it strange. She had heard about and met every other Shepherd while growing up, but the man known as Robin was absent from every memory of the the company that she could muster. His close friendship with her father alone should have been enough to earn him a mention when she was still a child, and that's not even including the various feats the man had pulled. Who was he? Why had she never heard of his existence until she had stepped foot into this world?

This was not the first time she had pondered these questions. In fact, she had always harbored a certain dislike for this man who she felt had been a bit too close to her father's inner circle. He had been her primary suspect for her father's murderer during most of the war on Plegia. It had made perfect sense. Her father was killed by a close friend. Yet even after his death, all of the other Shepherds had been accounted for, none of them fleeing anywhere to avoid suspicion or capture. It was a fact that it couldn't have been any of the other Shepherds, so it was only logical to conclude that it had to have been him. Unfortunately for her, upon observing his acts of selflessness, relationship with the Shepherds, and despite whatever she may have thought of him, he hardly seemed like the type to commit murder in cold blood. She did find solace in being able to conclude that the man so close to her father could not be the culprit, as it meant there was no immediate threat. But the fact that the one responsible was still out there became one more thought the prevented her from a good night's sleep.

Although for now, she had dropped her accusations towards the man, her lack of intel on him meant she was still wary, and she would continue to be so if it meant keeping her family safe. He may not have been the murderer, but there was still something largely off about him.

She was pulled away from her thoughts, when she realized she had been staring at him the entire time. What more, he seemed to have taken notice and was now looking right back at her. She was caught by surprise, but quickly decided to not to show anymore of her weaknesses here. She stood her ground and held her stare at him, brows, just barely furrowing. After a few seconds of prolonged eye contact, he offered her a quick nod, then diverted his attention back to his work. Lucina finally broke her gaze from him, slightly disappointed that the man had been completely unphased.

Before she knew it, all Shepherds were now present within the tent and her father grabbed her hand to lead her out in front of the them.

"I'd like to have your attention" said Chrom assuming an authoritative tone.

The Shepherds were all ears.

'"Now, many of you may recognize this fine young lady here as 'Marth'" Chrom said before he turned to smile at Lucina.

Upon hearing Chrom refer to the blue haired girl as a _'fine' _young lady, on top of the look of adoration he gave her and the fact that he was still clutching her hand, many of the Shepherds began whispering to one another, casting suspicious looks at the two people before them.

Many of the women seemed rather appalled at what would they could only hope wasn't going on.

"I never had Chrom pegged for such an unfaithful pig" Sully whispered to the other girls.

"W-what does that he think he's d-doing!?" stuttered Cordelia, angry that the man she had once loved could do such a cruel thing to one of her closest friends.

"To think my darling Lissa even shares the same blood as that charlatan... Poor Sumia must be an absolute wreck right now" whispered Maribelle

The three of them all looked to Sumia.

"Look at her, my dear friend's heart broken, she loo-" Cordelia paused upon seeing Sumia.

"...Heh? She looks... fine... happy even" trailed Sully.

"I-is that pride I see?" squeaked Maribelle.

Sumia had been beaming at both Chrom and 'Marth', much to the three girls' bewilderment. The final nail in the coffin for them was when Sumia had offered a cheerful thumbs up to Chrom and the girl.

Needless to say, the three girls lost it.

Amid all the whispering, Chrom raised his voice," Now this might come off as weird..."

"Got that right, you ass!" yelled Sully in the back. A knowing Lissa pounced the taller woman, covering her mouth as she motioned Chrom to continue.

Chrom held back a chuckle. Given Robin and Sumia's initial reactions, he knew for certain that the rest of the Shepherds were probably thinking along the same lines. He had hoped to first attract their ire, then make the big reveal. He would then use the ensuing guilt of the bunch to ensure he was kept from dish duty for at least a week. Where he picked up such a tactic could've only been attributed to Robin, who was currently smirking in the middle of the disapproving crowd.

After a bit more heckling," This is my daughter Lucina".

The room went dead silent, save for Robin and Lissa who were failing horribly at hiding their laughter, and an enthusiastic Sumia who was quietly cheering.

If it was possible to die of embarrassment, then Lucina would have surely just failed her mission to rewrite history.

Questions began springing from all sides of the room. Chrom and Sumia both explained the situation and offered the proof to the claim. After various remarks, and even more questions, the consensus of the room finally accepted Marth to be Lucina.

Lucina explained her past and why she had come. Disbelief spread across the room, when they learned they'd all perish within 20 years time.

They asked her if it was even possible that their fate could be avoided. Without thinking, she responded with resounding, "YES", taking even herself back at her boldness. Who could blame her, this was the last chance she had. She had to change it. But then..

She confessed to them that she no longer had any more leads follow. When they asked her what she meant, she responded by explaining that her various actions in the past had already altered this time's present.

She explained that on her travels during the 2 years following Gangrels defeat, she noticed certain events that she had determined would occur, would either be delayed by several days or end up not happening altogether.

She told them she had come to the conclusion that her interventions in this time had already rippled, causing a future different from her own. She went on to say that this did not mean _her_ future had been avoided, but rather the small events and details leading up to the major occurrences had been changed.

She noticed this back in Plegia. She explained that while the outcome of Gangrel's defeat had not changed, the various battles leading up to final confrontation had. She told them that Phila and her squadron should not have died at Gangrel's castle, but rather while guarding the capital. And that they were never meant to clash with Mustafa's forces during their initial escape from Gangrel's castle, and he in fact was executed for insubordination following the successful assassination of Emmeryn in Ylisstol.

Finally, she told them that with the present time having changed, she could no longer offer support to the Shepherds in terms of warning them of any future skirmishes or ambushes. And if even if she could, the events would likely occur in a manner different from the stories she was told growing up. Her foresight had now only left her with the plainly obvious. That Walhart would attempt to conquer the world and Grima's eventual resurrection.

They asked her if she at least knew anything about their upcoming campaign against Valm. She was sad to say she once again left them empty handed. She stated that Valm's initial invasion force wasn't even supposed to land at Port Ferox.

Seeing her daughter in distress from being unable to give any info, Chrom spoke up," Lucina, come with us." he said adamantly. Beside him Sumia had a face that held the same sentiment. She turned to look at the Shepherds, all of whom were either smiling or nodding at her.

Given her current situation, it would seem like the best choice. Not to mention the thought of being able to stay with her family was more than she could ever hope for. But doubt still lingered in her mind. Did she deserve any of this? After the many changes she had already caused in this world? As the toxic thoughts consumed her mind, she began to think that all of it, even meeting her parents, was a huge mistake. A mistake that _she _had caused. How much more would change now that she had revealed herself to be a time traveller?

"No. No, I-I don't think I should... I've already made such a mess of this world. I fear what changes me being directly involved will bring about. There could be irreversible consequences."

Chrom looked sadly at his daughter. Even in this timeline, her burdens from that world would not leave her be. He needed to figure out a way to get her to settle down and quit beating herself for every wrongdoing in the world.

"Give me a break"

All eyes in the room snapped to the voice, revealing a slightly annoyed Robin.

"You're telling me you _went back in time,_ and now you're moaning on about _irreversible_ consequences?"

She felt a bit offended. It had come off like he was making light of her and her friends' plight, "I'd just prefer not to create anymore unnecessary changes here, and if that means I must go away, I will. What if I were to indirectly cause far worse problems than the ones already at hand?"

"What problem could be worse than the world ending!?"

"Enough, you've no idea what you're talking about!" Lucina yelled.

"No, I believe I do." Robin continued, refusing to back down. "You say you're afraid of changing events? Correct me if I'm wrong, but was that not the point of you and your companions coming here in the first place? To alter events already written? Are you afraid you'll be held accountable?"

"..." He struck a truth. Although she'd be lying if she said the man wasn't ticking her off right now, but she decided to let him continue.

"I'm far from an expert in the subject, but wouldn't it make sense to assume that even if you were to avoid any further contact with us at this point, you simply living in this world would cause changes left and right?"

"What grounds do you have for such an assumption?" she retorted.

"I'll have to agree with him" Miriel spoke up, all attention now on her. "The world is made up of a series of interconnected systems, be it plants, weather, or animals. The ripple effect you mentioned earlier changing the details of a battle, is what many scholars refer to as the butterfly effect. It involves tiny, even unnoticeable changes being able to affect the larger system as a whole. Unnoticeable changes or foreign catalysts, much like your being here?"

Upon hearing Miriel support the tactician, she realized that she had never given it much thought. She had been so focused on the aspects of Grima and the war, that she had failed to consider the smaller changes she had spurred. The lives of everyday people. Had she thrown this world's balance off that much?

Miriel continued her explanation, as Vaike and Donnel nodded in agreement in the background, pretending to understand what she was saying, "Like what Robin pointed out my dear, your very presence in our world is unnatural in the sense that whatever you do here, be it eat, drink or even step on the grass, would could cause changes that can quite possibly shape a world with drastic difference from yours."

Despite, the many valid points thrown at her, Lucina found her resolve. She slowly and confidently realized that all these changes the two spoke of would be meaningless come the dawn of _that_ day.

"And? How does any of that matter at all? The location of a tree sprouting? One less fish in a river?! I came here to stop Grima! What's your point?" argued Lucina.

"So you're saying that you wouldn't care about these changes you'd bring about our world?" Robin asked.

"I'll do whatever must be done in order to stop...", Lucina fell quiet.

As Robin smirked once more, it hit her. Had he planned this from the start?

Robin stood up, "The future of this world had already changed the moment you stepped into it. Even if tonight is the last we'll ever see of you, the world will still keep moving, along with the changes you've brought it. Your presence will have an effect wherever you go, so why not put it to use? Lucina, you've already acknowledged all this for yourself a moment ago. So, as long as it means we stop Grima... won't you stay with us and help to create our own future?"

Somewhere along his speech, his smirk had slowly grown into a soft, genuine smile.

As she looked back at the Shepherds, they once again wore their approval on their faces.

Lucina gave out a soft sigh.

He had won. That snake of a man had won.

She had already changed this world, for better or worse. They were all aware of the possible changes her support may unwittingly cause, yet they welcomed her anyway. So was there harm in doing a little more? All she had to do now was accept it. Accept it and keep soldiering on. No more running away. Every second she was in this world, it changed from the one she grew up in. So why not use this as a chance to help shape a world she could be proud of? She decided to drop her regrets, she'd just keep sprinting forward from here on out.

Besides, there was no way she'd be able to deny the offer now without coming off as a coward. And by the looks her parents were giving her, they didn't plan on letting her go either.

"I'll stay.. if you'll have me."

The meeting hall erupted into cheers in welcome of their newest member.

She was suddenly entangled in her parents arms, both glad their daughter had decided to join them. As she welled up with hope at the prospect of having her parents beside her this time around, just for a moment, she may have contemplated thanking that bastard of a tactician.

* * *

><p>"Lucina!"<p>

She snapped out of her thoughts to see her mother calling from across the camp. How long had she been walking?

"Lucina, come over to the mess hall for breakfast! We're headed back to Port Ferox in 2 hours!"

She told her mother that she'd grab all her gear then head for the hall in 10 minutes, as she made her way back to her tent.

After putting on her usual attire, she grabbed her Falchion and headed out to meet her parents.

As she turned the corner to the mess hall, she bumped into the Shepherds' visibly exhausted tactician, who with a doubt had been up all night in preparation for the following week.

"Ah, I'm sorry" she said as she backed up.

"No, it's quite alright"

She had no idea what she'd say to the man. Despite the outcome last night, they had still engaged in quite the heated argument.

"You know, I _half_ expected to hear that you'd gone missing this morning. "

The tension from last night still lingered as if it had happened just moments ago.

"I have a duty to save this world. I won't go back on my word" she said firmly, as she looked up at him, matching his stare.

"Are you sure you just don't want to spend more time with _Daddy?" _he grinned.

Lucina turned red with embarrassment and quickly gripped her Falchion," Are you making fun of me!?"

"Whoa, easy there, it was just a joke" said Robin laughing, putting his hands in front of him in defense.

With a huff, she removed her grip from her Falchion.

"Well you'd better get over there. They've been waiting and Sumia's a nightmare when she gets restless."

For a moment, she had thought of asking him if he was now making fun of her mother, but decided she'd had enough of him this morning.

She nodded and moved along. Stopping a couple steps later, she turned around to see the tactician was still in her sights.

"Hey, you!" she called to him.

Robin turned to her.

"I've got a name you know."

Lucina sighed, "Robin. Thank you... for last night."

Robin chuckled, "Don't mention it, princess"

In annoyance, her face slightly tinged red once again. Robin was amused to see that she was just as bothered to be addressed with formalities as her father, and quickly made a mental note to bring it up as much as possible.

"Lucina" he corrected himself just this once, before waving her off and continuing on his way

With that, she turned around and went off to meet with her parents with, unnoticed even by her, a soft smile on her face.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, that was quite a bit longer than the first. You could probably see where I'm going to go with this. Lucina and Robin don't exactly get along too well at this point. I plan on taking it slow, really building it up. I'm ****definitely going to use their support convos with each other, but as for now, they still have yet to be on 'proper' speaking terms.**

**But that's the fun of it I guess. So expect to see the two get into little verbal scuffles with one another, and every once in awhile give something meaningful to the other. We'll see how it goes from there.**

**As for the Inigo situation, I still plan on him having a thing for Lucina when he eventually gets around, but whether or not it'll be an integral plot point or just some fun for a few lines is still up in the air as the score is still 1-1**

**Thanks for the views, favs, follows, and reviews!**

**Next update will take a few days, so until then.**


	3. Words are Weapons

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTER BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Words are Weapons**

On the way back to Port Ferox, the Shepherds had decided to set up camp outside a nearby town after 3 days of almost nonstop travel. They would stay the night for some much needed rest, then proceed on the journey and arrive at Port Ferox the following night.

Although time was of the essence given the Valmese were slowly but surely preparing to send another much larger invasion fleet, Chrom thought it best for their morale to give them a small break before they set out for what would surely be a long, grueling war.

* * *

><p>Lucina, having finished pitching her tent, strolled through the campsite.<p>

Various Shepherds were scattered around going about their business. Cordelia and her mother were tending to the horses and pegasi. Libra was in the mess hall, waiting for a fire to be started in order to begin preparing meals. Some others had gone into town to enjoy their last free day before beginning their arduous journey.

She spied Frederick trying to start a campfire and decided to approach him. Frederick had long been a trusted family friend, and had been given the task of watching over Chrom and aunt Lissa by her late aunt Emmeryn. Taking his duty to heart, he had devoted himself to their safety with almost eerie gusto. His skeptic nature and constant paranoia over the Royal Family had earned him the nickname 'Frederick the Wary'. Lucina knew his overprotectiveness led to a habit of running background checks on newcomers or anyone trying to associate themselves with her father, so she figured he might be able to provide some insight on a certain someone.

"Afternoon Frederick".

The man usually clad in blue armor looked up," Ah, good afternoon milady. How can I be of assistance?"

"Oh, I was just on a stroll. Although I do plan on doing some training with my father after he's finished with his duties." she replied.

"Ah, very nice. I'm glad to see you're taking measures to maintain and improve your well being." he said with a smile, as he continued placing blocks of wood into the fire pit.

"...Actually, I was hoping to ask you about some things." she started.

"Of course, I'd be glad to be of any help" said Fredrick, giving her his full attention.

"Well you see... it's about.. your tactician" Lucina said.

"Don't you mean _our_ tactician?" he smiled.

She returned the smile. She was still getting use to being a member of the heroic Shepherds, whom she admired so much growing up. To think that'd she'd one day be able to fight alongside them and her parents in the same (possibly?) battles she'd heard about in countless bedtime stories was like a dream come true.

"Oh, yes. I see I've still some adjusting to do."

"So, why the interest in Robin? He hasn't done anything to bother you has he? His words towards you a few nights back were... quite brash of him."

"No, no. It's not about that. While I do agree , I must admit I am a bit... grateful to him" she said quietly, with a hint of embarrassment.

"Grateful, milady?"

"It's nothing." she said. "Rather, I wanted to, well... know more about him. I mean, he does seem to be on good terms with my father and he's got quite the responsibility."

She had added that last bit to mask her suspicions of the tactician.

"Hmmm, well let's see." Frederick began, a contemplative look upon his face. " At first glance, Robin appears to be the gentle type, but don't let that fool you,"

Lucina leaned in closer. Had she already found what she'd been searching for?

"as of late, he's become more outspoken and he's picked up quite the habit of poking fun at people. I blame it on his time with the others, namely Vaike and Gaius. Fortunately, he rarely steps over bounds with his japes, as he does care greatly for the Shepherds. He listens well to what everyone has to say, and much like myself, tries to be of as much as help as he can. In turn, the Shepherds respond warmly to him, putting up with his small jokes as they know he's just being friendly. Besides, we've all found a few ways to get him flustered ourselves." he said with a smile.

Lucina's shoulders fell slightly. Perhaps Robin truly had nothing to hide.

"Much like the rest of us, I consider him a good friend. Thinking back to the days when we first met him, I feel rather guilty. Because of his peculiar origins, I mistook him for some assailant, dispatched to bring harm to your father. Eventually I found his actions to be genuine an-" Frederick was abruptly cut off.

"Peculiar origins? Do you mind going into detail? for example, when you met?" said Lucina, a bit too enthusiastically.

Frederick shot an odd look at the blue haired princess. Her apparent fixation with Robin was bit strange, but he complied.

"Uhh, yes of course. You see, your father, Lissa and I had been on our way back home when we found a young man on the side of the road."

Lucina nodded, leaning in once more.

"It was Robin, and he appeared to have been sleeping for some time. After your father and Lissa woke him up, he addressed your father by his name. Now take into consideration that we had never met him prior to that day. What more, he seemed to have no idea where he was, claiming to not even know about our country of Yliss. He was afflicted by a condition you would call amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Lucina echoed in surprise.

"Yes, and quite a bad case if I might add. He had no recollection of any events before we had woke him, taking a few minutes to even remember his own name. At this point you can clearly see why I considered him to be a threat. But knowing the man your father is, he warmly offered him aid. After a brief introduction, we noticed smoke rising from the nearby town. It had been attacked by a group of bandits. Your father, Lissa and I headed over to town to put a stop to them, bringing Robin along, much to my displeasure." Frederick paused to look up at her.

She nodded, urging him to continue.

"It was there that we discovered Robin's skill in battle. He had on him, a simple sword and a magic tome. They were hidden within his plegian coat. Had I seen the weapons earlier, I might've cut him down where he stood. However, the situation with the bandits demanded as much help as we could get, with us separated from the rest of the Shepherds at the time. So, your father requested that Robin fight alongside us. It was evident that he had some experience wielding a sword, but his true strength lay in his adept skill at magic. Vastly outnumbered, the battle was rough to say the least. It was only when Robin had pleaded to take command of our small squad that the flow of the battle began to slowly tip in our favor. He claimed to have noticed small behavioral details and patterns in enemy movements and informed us that he would be able to put the knowledge to use. Your father putting his trust in him once again in the small time we had known him, agreed to the idea. We eventually won the battle thanks to smart use of cover and out maneuvering the enemy in the many small alley ways. With not a single innocent life lost and the only damage being some pillaged shops and a small fire, we were, needless to say, impressed with his results. Although I too shared your father's admiration for Robin's skill, it gave me only more to suspect him of. But those are days long gone. I do feel slightly ashamed for having been so hard on him, but I was only doing what I believed was best for your family's safety. Now that I think of it, it was that very night in which we had our first encounter with you, still going by the name Marth. I'm sure you know of the rest after that." Frederick finished.

"Do you really believe Robin can be trusted? ...errr, as our tactician I mean." she saved last second.

"I have no doubts. There is none other we Shepherds would rather trust our lives with than he."

Lucina thought over everything Frederick had told her. 'Apparently Robin has no memories from before the day he met my father. He was found armed and wearing the clothes of an enemy country, not to mention he somehow knew my father's name. Like Frederick, I was definitely justified in being suspicious of him. But even Frederick trusts him now...'

It seemed the story had brought Lucina more questions than answers. She feels that it only fed her suspicion of Robin. The fact that she, her father, and he had all crossed paths the very same day seemed almost too convenient to be a simple coincidence. However, if Robin was able to earn the full trust of even 'Frederick the Wary', he was either a master deceiver, or genuine in his claims. She didn't know what to believe anymore. She decided that despite Frederick's honest testimony, she would try to find out just what kind of man Robin was for herself.

"I see. That was quite the tale. That's all I needed for now. Thank you for your time Frederick," she said.

"Not at all, I'm happy to have helped. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a fire to start and I fear I've kept Libra waiting for too long."

Lucina left Frederick to his duty and continued her stroll through camp.

* * *

><p>"Ughhh" Robin groaned as he lifted his head from his desk.<p>

He just woke up after he had fallen asleep going over some possible strategies he could employ against the Valmese forces.

From what he's heard from Virion, Basilio and Flavia, the Valmese were fierce fighters who prided themselves in their cavalry, known to be the world's best. It was for this reason he suggested that they take the fight to them and intercept their invasion force at sea. On board ships, their cavalry's power would be severely limited, evening the odds a bit. Unfortunately, another a problem was the sheer number of troops that they possessed. No matter how skilled the Shepherds were, he knew this war couldn't be won through brute force alone. Faced with the stress, he quietly decided. Trickery, underhanded tactics and sabotage weren't dishonorable, but vital. Too many lives depended on him to even concern himself with his pride. He wasn't pleased at all with his conclusion, but war is ugly. He knew that very well.

His thoughts focused back to thinking of ways to gain the upper hand.

'...'

'...'

'Wait... even aboard ships, the Valmese are sure to have more soldiers than we do. Cavalry is their strength, lots of soldiers mean plenty of horses. But at sea, they'll be dismounted... meaning they'd have to keep their horses below deck somewhere...'

But before Robin could continue his train of thought, "Robin. You up?", Chrom said as he peeked his head through the flaps of the tent.

"No."

"Ha Ha. Anyways, I was wondering if you were up for some training."

"Right now? I was in the middle of discovering a chink in the Valmeses' armor. And didn't we stop over to get some rest?"

"Compared to how much strain you've been putting on your head the last few days, I think getting your body moving for a bit does count as rest. Besides, you gave me permission to execute you if you didn't join me for training remember? Hahah" Chrom chuckled.

"Fine, fine. I suppose you're right, just give me a second."

"That's the spirit, I've been meaning to see how much progress you've made with your swordwork after Lon'qu's training"

Robin turned over to his desk to jot down one last note. 'Naval Battle: Horses?'

He grabbed his sword and followed Chrom out.

* * *

><p>The two walked to corner of camp where the training grounds had been set up.<p>

"So Chrom, ready for a beat down? I'm not the pushover I was 2 years ago" Robin said with a smug expression.

"Haha, give the guy a sword to swing around for a couple years, now he thinks he's ready to play with the big kids."

"Hah, oh I did a lot more than just swing a sword around. You wouldn't believe the training regimen Feroxis go through. I'm proud to say I've made quite the transformation. I think you'll at least be on your toes this time around" Robin chuckled.

"I see you've grown quite sure of yourself, but who said I was the one you'd be facing off with?"

"Huh?" Robin asked as the training grounds came into view.

At the end of the field, he saw Lucina mercilessly destroying a practice dummy with a flurry of hits.

"You've got to be joking" Robin said, almost pitying the wooden dummy.

"Hahaha, she'll make a fine opponent. Besides, I've sensed some tension between the two of you. As one of my best friends and my daughter, I want both of you to get along. And what better way to forge bonds than to trade cold hard steel?"

"A sit down over a cup of tea would do the job just fine." Robin muttered.

"I hope you're not suggesting I let you take my little girl out on a date now, are you?" Chrom asked, pretending to look accusatory.

"Very funny. By the way Chrom, how's your back feeling?"

Chrom turned red at the jab at his age.

"...T-this father business doesn't really make me look... old does it?"

"I wonder. Now that you mention it, is that a white hair I see growing on you?"

After she decided the wooden dummy had been punished enough, Lucina turned to see her father, who was clutching at strands of his hair, and Robin walking up to her.

"Hello father, and Robin" she added. "Are you all set for our sparring session?"

"Change of plans Lucina. Turns out filling out all those documents for our campaign left my hands a bit sore." he lied.

Lucina gave a disappointed expression.

"However, Robin over here has volunteered to fill in for me." said Chrom with a grin on his face.

She shot Robin a quisitive look.

"I'm looking forward to it." Robin said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Very well... as am I" she said.

"Oh, and Lucina? Robin's become quite the _master_ swordsman recently, so there's no need for you to go easy on him."

Robin's eyes bulged slightly then shot to Chrom, " What are you doing? Are you trying to get your tactician killed?" he whispered to him, hoping that name dropping his title would get his friend to reconsider.

Chrom smirked, "I'll have you know, I plan on staying in my prime for years to come" he replied, clearly still hung up on the 'age' pun.

Lucina spoke up, "Fine with me. After all... only the finest is worthy of taking my father's place." she said, still rather unsure if Robin had lived up to her father's claim.

"Then you shouldn't be disappointed." Chrom finished.

With each word out of the two's mouth, Robin could feel himself slowly began to die inside.

* * *

><p>After both having put on proper protection in the form of light, yet sturdy armor, they moved to their battlegrounds.<p>

Robin took a deep breath and moved to the end of the field a few paces opposite Lucina.

He drew his favored bronze sword, which had been specially reinforced by an esteemed Feroxi blacksmith, courtesy of Lon'qu.

"You're still lugging that thing around?" Chrom asked from the side of the field, unaware of the special customizations the sword had undergone. "It seems a tad unsuitable for a swordsman of your caliber" Chrom finished, driving his joke home.

"Lon'qu taught me a sword must have a special bond with its master. What finer sword than the one I began with?" Robin replied, eyes now glued to the blue haired princess across from him.

Lucina unsheathed her Falchion then got into the same iconic stance her father often took. Her eyes focused intently on Robin, awaiting any movements.

Robin decided that in spite of his previous attitude, he'd go all out during the fight. Lucina was a formidable opponent, and he needed to see how far he'd come after all of his hard work.

After a few seconds of staring down one another, Robin took the initiative and rushed forward. Lucina followed suit only a split second after.

Robin swung his sword down, but Lucina blocked it with little effort. Sliding his sword to the side, she followed up with a spinning horizontal swing.

Robin flawlessly dodged the slash, and then another.

Chrom was impressed. Robin's agility and footwork improved quite substantially. Perhaps his gloating held some merit after all.

After a few more dodges, Lucina seemed to have grown tired of the little game, her swings beginning to pick up speed at an incredible rate.

Robin quickly decided that it was much more practical to block and deflect such a flurry rather than attempt to dodge.

Between blocks, Robin couldn't help but notice how much her fighting style resembled Chrom's. To say she simply emulated him would be an understatement. From the angle of her strikes, to the way she'd move about the opponent. They all had belonged to Chrom. It was then Robin thought of just how much she loved her father. She lost him in her future, but it was apparent she carried his spirit within her blade.

"Gyahh" Robin grunted blocking another swing.

And although her style was almost identical to that of Chrom's, it was hard to explain, but it felt different as well. Chrom fought with a sense of purpose. He swung his blade precisely, and kept his emotion well under control, never underestimating the enemy.

While Lucina's blows still carried that same sense of purpose and caution, he felt something else from her. She gave off the same air as that of a cornered animal. Her strikes carried desperation. He understood the reason behind this from what info she gave about her past. Living in such a hellish future, she knew any moment could be her last. She gave each strike her all. It was kill or be killed. She must have felt the burden of an entire world on her shoulders, and it showed in how she fought. However, she was not just some cornered animal fighting for its life. Such an animal would act erratically with no sense of thought. Lucina showed none of that. Her strikes while desperate, carried lots of grace. Whether she was aware of it or not, it seems as if she was able to channel a portion of that burden into her blade, and she struck like that of a woman refusing to let victory slip her by. Rather than stay as the prey, she used her desperation in such a manner that she had turned the situation around and become the predator. Robin quietly admired what he believed to be the young woman's resolve.

The sounds of metal clashing fired off.

Lucina was overpowering and forcing back Robin who could do nothing but continue his guard.

With her speed, he could find no openings in her form. He had to be patient. He slowly waited for her to make even the slightest change in her pattern.

The moment Lucina had slowed down for just a second due to strain of keeping up such an assault for so long, Robin quickly ducked under her blade as it came ripping across.

He kicked his right foot backwards, spinning himself across the floor, attempting to sweep her leg.

Lucina had jumped back just in time to avoid it.

Although he had failed to topple her, Robin was successful in ending her barrage and creating some space.

Although partially out of breath, he knew she also must've tired herself out and he sought to take full advantage of it.

He rushed her once again and let out a series of slashes of his own.

Lucina, still catching her breath, blocked his attacks, albeit with less ease than before.

Robin's blade danced with great speed in small but abrupt intervals. The lag between each quick swing was meant to leave the enemy moving to guard against the next slash a moment too early, which he punished them for.

Lucina felt Robin's determination. His blade had almost perfectly mimicked that of a Feroxi myrmidon such as Lon'qu himself. She recalled not ever having observed him fight on the front lines much during the war in Plegia, preferring to use magic at a distance. Considering what her father was saying, he must have undergone immense training during the time following Gangrel's defeat.

"Hyah" she yelled, fending off a downwards chop.

She didn't want to admit, but she herself was a bit astounded at the level of skill he had reportedly achieved in only 2 years of presumably interrupted practice. She felt that it was due to his lack of memory that caused him to learn at such an incredible pace. It wasn't that he learned quicker because his memory had more room to spare, it was far different from that type ofreasoning. She suspected that as a man with no past, he was desperately gripping onto anything he could in order to forge an identity for himself. It seemed a bit pitiful to her. A man with nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

"Hagh!" she yelled, reflecting his strike with more force than before, attempting to throw off his balance and disrupt his offensive.

She felt his unbridled determination with every swing. The man had certain look to his eyes. His eyes were definitely those of one ready to strike down any who got in his way... yet they were not those of a man who had the sole intention to kill. She felt his blade clash onto hers with tremendous speed and purpose. And then, she had come to a certain realization about him. She was beginning to suspect that the formation of identity was not the reason behind his taking up of the sword. He was already established as Yliss' premier tactician, his name having spread throughout the halidom. No, she was beginning to believe the man had taken such measures to better himself for the sake of the Shepherds rather than because of some identity crisis. As the company's tactician, he held his lives in their hands. She could only imagine how he must have felt always standing at the back, while having to watch his friends put their lives at risk on the front lines. He longed to stand beside them in the heat of battle. A man with such determination, who had spent his time honing skills only to knowingly put himself at risk for the sake of knowing he could be of even more aid to his comrades than he already had been. He was a true force to be reckoned with. She felt that even though her opinion of him had only budged by just a bit, she found a small bit of admiration for the man who'd go to such lengths for her father and everyone else.

However, she had burdens of her own. She could not allow her sentiment to cause her to drop her guard by even an inch. And as good as Robin may have seemed, she knew he still had a long way to go.

Having caught her breath, she began to shift to the offensive. She began slipping in attacks of her own in between blocks.

The one sided assault had now grown into an even exchange.

The princess and tactician went at it with all their might, trading attacks at a staggering pace, both slowly trying to circle around the other.

Robin thrust his blade forward at the blue haired woman.

She side stepped the attack and spun to bring her blade down onto his side.

Robin ducked, the speed of her missed swing slightly throwing Lucina off. He took the opportunity to push her with his plated shoulder, once again hoping to topple her.

Lucina was knocked forward, but rather than allowing herself to fall, she used the momentum and dove into a roll. She quickly spun around and launched into the air with tremendous power.

As she fell, she swung her blade down in a vertical motion, causing her to repeatedly flip forward, blade out, in a deadly display of the trademark Royal Ylissan Swordplay.

Robin just barely blocked the extraordinary attack leaving the two standing in front of one another, blades locked and fighting for dominance.

Lucina pressed down hard on her blade, trying to take control.

Robin knew he was in trouble, he felt fatigue slowly working its way across his body, while she still looked as lively as ever.

And for the first time since the match had begun, she spoke up, " I must admit, you're much better than I had made you out to be."

Robin grinned," Thanks.. , you're just as strong as... that monster of a father of yours..." Robin said in between breaths.

"Don't let it get to your head though, you've still a long way to go. And judging by how you can barely speak, this fight's end is near." she said.

Robin let out a smirk," Heh... you forget princess," A look of displeasure formed on Lucina's face. "even right now... I'm not merely a swordsman."

Lucina looked at him suspiciously, putting down more force onto her blade.

"A tactician's always... got to have... something up their sleeve.."

'what's he babbling about now? Is this some ploy to get me to back off and create space?' Lucina thought to herself.

They continued their struggle for a moment more, Lucina slowly pushing him back further and further, until...

"You know I must admit... You've grown up quite well..."

'what?' Lucina quietly thought, redness spreading at the words' possible implications'.

"I would've never guessed... during all those times your parents had me... change your diapers.."

With that, the fight had come to a close.

But not how one might think.

Robin felt the force from Lucina's blade die immediately as the words left his mouth.

The very thought of this dastard changing the diapers of her infant self was too much for Lucina to handle.

Lucina's pale face had flushed bright red in a split second, every negative emotion imaginable plastered upon her face.

Robin was about to use the opportunity to seal the match, but the look in the eyes that were currently burning holes into his, had paralyzed him.

If it were possible for looks to kill, then Robin would have surely just failed his mission to defeat Walhart.

As he slowly lowered his sword in stupor, Lucina slapped him with such ferocity, that the ensuing clap could have surely been heard from the afterlife.

She immediately turned around and left, leaving the tactician to wallow in the stinging pain across his face.

"You get points for using your head but... I don't blame her. That was a pretty dirty tactic. Effective, but dirty." Chrom said, scratching his head nervously.

"Ughhh... just leave me... here for a bit" said Robin, fatigue consuming his body.

"Although, I don't ever remember having you ...errrr change her diapers"

"I didn't. Tacticians... have to to be able... to think quick on their feet."

"Well, your quick thinking just earned yourself a world of troubles"

* * *

><p><em>The Following Morning<em>

The Shepherds were almost finished packing up and were about to continue their trip back to Port Ferox.

Lucina had just the left the mess hall. A soft smile of content on her face. She deeply enjoyed the simple things, such as breakfast with her mother and father, that she had so long missed. Having already decided to have dove head first into the fray and fight alongside her parents, despite what this means for the future, she figured she would make the most of the situation and experience everything she had missed with them in the past years.

She suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She had just thought of her sister, whom had gone missing with the rest after arriving here. Why should she get to enjoy their parents company, while her sister, who fought through every bit as much as her, had yet to be found? Before the thoughts could swallow her, she shook her head.

She wouldn't let these thoughts pull her down any longer. She made the decision to stay and she would stand by it. She had to have hope. She needed to believe her sister and the others were fine. She had spent the last 2 years scouring the entire continent of Yliss, trying to find any hint of where the others could be. Alas, the search ended in bitter failure.

However Naga had assured them that they all_ would_ be sent back here. The fact of the matter was that they were indeed somewhere in the world, and she had a feeling she knew where. After searching all of Yliss and coming up empty, there was a place she'd yet to have the opportunity of visiting. Valm, and as luck would have it, the current destination of the Shepherds, where they sought to put an end to Walhart's conquest. The continent of Valm was just as massive as Yliss. All things considered, it was almost certain that they were there. They would find them.

With faith renewed, Lucina headed back to her tent to finish packing up.

"Lucina!" someone had yelled.

She looked over her shoulder, to find Robin, jogging towards her.

Remembering their bout, she snapped her head back in disgust and sped forward to her tent.

"Lucina! Wait!" she felt him gently grab her arm, to which she instinctively pulled away.

Figuring he wouldn't let up in his pursuit, she turned around to face him, arms crossed.

"What?" she spat sharply.

Robin spoke, eyes cast down, "I-I just wanted to apologize"

He finally looked up at her to see her incredibly annoyed face.

"Lucina, I'm sorry about yesterday, truly. I'm very, deeply sorry. I-I overstepped my bounds and had said something incredibly distasteful. I didn't wish to upset you as much as I did"

"So you mean to tell me that you _did_ mean to upset me though, correct?" she quickly retorted.

Robin mentally kicked himself for his poor wording,"No! I didn't! It's just that in the heat of battle, it just came up."

"..."

" If I had known..."

"..."

"What I mean to say..."

"..."

"...nevermind."

'nevermind?' Lucina looked at him, puzzled.

"There's no excuse for what I did. It was incredibly rude of me, and you have every right to be angry. I realize we've just met, and that I shouldn't have gotten too comfortable. I justed wanted to let you know how sorry I am..."

"..." Lucina thought it over.

"If it makes you feel better, my other cheek remains untouched..."

She slapped her forehead softly and let out a sigh.

"...Fine".

Robin smiled,"Thank you! I promise something like that won't happ-"

"Tell me something." she cut in.

Robin looked up at her

"Why did you feel the need to resort to that? You put up quite the fight, I can tell you were giving your best." she asked.

Robin thought about it for a moment, Lucina staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, because..." Robin started, trying to find the words to explain.. " I guess it was because what I said yesterday rang true.."

"Please explain"

"On the battlefield, I wasn't just a swordsman. Before any other role, I'm the Shepherd's tactician. You tell me I gave my best... and I did. That was me. If it it were a real fight and it meant ensuring victory and everyone's well being, I'd have to have taken it..."

"But to stoop to something so.. so low? so.. personal?"

"I guess it's just... preparation for things to come.." Robin continued somberly, after a long pause.

Taking note of his hurt expression, Lucina decided to ease off a bit. "...What do you mean?" she asked, a bit gentler.

"The war.. Valm.. Their forces massively outnumber ours. As much as I'd love to hope the 'good guys' will always be there to save the day, I've seen too much fighting to be so naive..."

Lucina let him continue.

"Given the odds we have, and how important it is for us to win this, there may very well be a time where I, as our tactician, may have to resort... to some very terrible things." he finished, dead eyes cast towards the distance.

It seems she had vastly understated the burdens that he wore upon his shoulder. She knew very well herself just how corrosive that type of thinking could be. The man not only troubled himself with ensuring the Shepherds were all safe, but to some extent, he showed some compassion for the enemy. The two ideas were completely conflicting. It was enough to tear apart the psyche of even the most resilient of men.

Of course, it seemed foolish to even care about those who were coming to take away your homes. But for once, putting herself in his shoes, she figured the blood that could end up on his hands from even the most brilliant strategy was enough reason to second guess. As much as she'd like to slap him out of it and remind him of the consequences of such thought, she too could not say for sure if she'd be able to live with such guilt.

Unsure of what to think, or to say, Lucina remained silent.

Without thinking, and surprising even herself, she lifted her hand to rest on the sullen man's shoulder as she looked down at her feet.

It was the only form of comfort she could offer given the situation.

Robin perked up a bit at the gesture, softly smiling. Choosing to leave behind the depressing atmosphere, he spoke," You know, problems aside, I'm glad we had a chance to fight it out yesterday."

She looked up at him, finally removing her hand from his shoulder. "Do you now?" she asked.

He nodded," I guess what Chrom said was right."

"...and what was it that he said?" she questioned.

"Well, He told me you were able to get to know one another by fighting. It sounded like some muscle headed nonsense at first, but it's exactly how I felt during our fight."

Lucina was a bit taken back,"So... what is it you believed you learned about me?" she asked.

"I felt.. I felt like you were desperate. No! Let me finish!" he said before she could shoot him a glare," I meant that I could almost feel how... terrible the future must have been for you. Each time you struck at me, it felt like it could've been the last. You must have an incredible burden with your mission and all, but I felt that somehow, you were able to turn that grief into hope.."

Once again Lucina had been taken back by his words. To think he'd pick up on such things through a mere fight. She felt a small wave of relief after hearing him acknowledge her struggle. For that moment, that pain on her shoulders became just a bit more bearable. Of course, he might understand. After all, he's got quite the handful himself.

"Interesting, " she began, attempting not to lose face. "Would you like to hear what I learned of you?"

"...yes." he replied, surprised that she had apparently gone through the same thing as he.

"The blade of a man who doesn't know who he is, or what he wants to be. He accomplishes what he must in order to fill the hole inside him, and to blot out insecurity..."

Robin felt his heart sink. At one point in his journey, he had actually come across such feelings. He had cast them away long ago, and decided to live life for not only himself, but his friends. But considering the turmoil within him ever since Validar had paid him a visit... perhaps these feelings weren't as gone as he had imagined... and what more, Lucina had sensed them...

"is what I thought at first..." she continued, as Robin's eyes shot up. "What I... truly felt... was someone who'd throw himself away for those he cares about. Someone who would take upon himself the burden of others, if only just to ease their pain.." she finished, unsure if she said too much.

Robin's eyes began to slightly tear up, "Thank you.." was all he could whisper to her.

Lucina nodded, unaware of what Robin was currently thinking.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...I was joking. About the the diapers, that is..." Robin said nervously, feeling the need to clear the air.

Lucina turned red as she remembered the image, but was relieved to hear.

"Lucky for you..." she said firmly.

"..."

"..."

After a moment of silence, "Ahem. Well, now that we've got all this out of the way. If you don't mind, I've got to go finish packing."

Robin smiled, " Yes, thank you Lucina. I'll see you around."

"I'll see you later... Robin." she said softly before walking back to her tent.

* * *

><p>On the trip back to Port Ferox, Lucina thought long and hard about everything that transpired. At the end of the day, she still couldn't figure out exactly what to think of him. She still believed that there was something largely off about the man, but maybe, not all of it was bad.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay! So we got a lot more interaction between our two stars. Lucina still has her doubts about Robin, but she's starting to open up a little bit. If only to find out whether or not he could be Chrom's murderer. Contrary to what Frederick say, Robin's mouth lands him in a another vat of hot water. And Frederick gets some screen time as well. This chapter takes place in between Chapters 13 and 14 of the game. Next chapter will cover the naval battle. What's our tactician got cooking up?**

**Again, thanks for the reviews! I'm grateful for any feedback and I take everything you say into consideration. So far it seems Inigo will end up as a support role and/or forever alone.. But at this point I feel okay with that.**

**Thanks again for reading! Til next time.**


	4. Flames on the Blue 1

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Flames on the Blue 1**

_The Morning Before the Battle_

The sun was barely beginning to rise, it's orange hue faintly glowing in the distance. The early morning breeze blew his hair as Robin leaned against the railing of the deck on their warship. They've been at sea for 2 days, the inevitable clash between the Valmese and Ylissan Continental fleets looming just over the horizon.

Upon their group's arrival at Port Ferox, they met up with the Feroxi army along with both Khans, Basilio and Flavia. Basilio informed them that Plegia had supplied them with hundreds of warships and transport vessels, which had been docked at the harbor. Each ship had been fully loaded with food rations, weapons and equipment. They were fortunate that despite the incident at Carrion Isle, Validar had kept his promise to lend them support. The whole affair reeked of ulterior motives, but with Valm slowly closing in, they had no choice but to continue as planned. Robin's thoughts drifted to the previous night…

* * *

><p><em>The Previous Night<em>

"Ba ha ha ha ha! The Valmese don't stand a chance!" laughed Basilio, breath reeking of ale.

"Oy! Settle down you big oaf. This is hardly the time to be underestimating the enemy! That's how you end up face down in the dirt with an axe in your back." said Flavia, clearly annoyed by the West-Khan's drunken antics.

"Ba ha! Take it easy woman, if you've got no faith, then this war's forfeit! Hoy! Someone pour her another drink!" he yelled, unaffected by his counterparts lecturing.

The Shepherds along with both Khans had an entire warship to themselves. They were all inside the ship's main room, for drinks and discussion.

Miriel was reading a book on hexes, courtesy of Henry. She turned the page, eyes never leaving the book, as she took controlled sips from her mug.

Gregor sat down next to Panne.

"Hello Panne!"

"..." Panne looked up at him before getting up to leave.

"Oy, Panne! Is only Gregor!"

Panne stopped,"Yes? What is it then? Have your say and leave."

"Why you so cold to Gregor?"

"I simply don't wish to see you."

"...So now you hate Gregor with passion of a maniac? Alright, Gregor knows when he is being unwanted like trash." Gregor got up with a hurt expression.

"No!" Panne blurted out. "Err, don't go"

"Yesss?" Gregor spun around with a grin on his face.

"I apologize... I don't hate you. In fact, I want to thank you... for helping me earlier..." Panne blushed.

"Ah, you see! Now we are having conversation like grown ups! Maybe now you will let Gregor pet fuzzy ears?" he laughed

"Are you making fun on of me?"

"No! Gregor simply think ears are cute. Here have drink with Gregor."

The two went on talking, much to Gregor's delight.

Kellam was walking around serving drinks, filling up Flavia's mug to the brim.

Olivia was bandaging another one of Henry's injuries that he had received while trying out a hex he claimed would, for reasons only the gods were aware of, get the nearby seagulls to lift their ship into the air.

And finally, Robin had the pleasure of sitting across a table from the Royal family themselves. Chrom and Sumia were clearly under the effects of the alcohol, Sumia, hanging onto her husband's arm. Lucina stared down into her mug in embarrassment.

"I'm tellling you Robinnn. Familyy comess first.. And yooou'rrre family noww." The prince slurred.

"Yes! We wouldn't know what we'd do without you!" Sumia chirped, cuddling Chrom's arm.

"..." The princess remained silent, refusing to look up.

Robin chuckled nervously,"As flattered as I am, you two are surely exaggerating. Those drinks have clearly gone to your heads."

"Nonsense! Besidesss, I'm gonna need a h-hand taking care of all those dastards who daare try making a move on my little guurl.."

"Father!" Lucina barked, face reddening.

"He's right dearrr! You're absolutely beautiful! What man wouldn't have his heart stolen?" Sumia gushed, wrapping her free arm around her daughter's head.

"I really doubt _she_ would need help handling any troublesome guys that come her way ..." Robin muttered, sipping his cup, remembering just how strong Chrom's _little girl_ was.

Before the conversation got any more awkward, Frederick burst into the room, Gaius and Cordelia right behind him.

"Urgent news!" Frederick spoke. "Gaius and Cordelia just got back from their scouting. They reported that the Valmese are headed our way."

"How far are they!?" Robin asked

"They could be upon us as early as noontime tomorrow" Cordelia stated.

Everyone in the room seem to have sobered up at he news and were now focused on the three.

"They've got hundreds of ships. Easily as much as ours if not more." said Gaius.

"What more, the ships are packed to the brim with troops" Cordelia added.

"Bah! That's a problem. All our ships are half full at most." said Basilio.

"Damn. This could prove to be quite the problem." said Chrom with a serious face, evidently having snapped out of his drunken persona.

"Do you have a plan?" Lucina asked the tactician.

Robin put a hand to his chin," I've got.. a couple ideas."

"Along with the equipment and food, Plegia gave us an abundance of other resources. Among them, thousands of barrels of oil. It could prove... useful in the hands of a clever tactician." Flavia spoke as she looked to him.

"Perhaps..." Robin said thoughtfully.

"If we can put their ships to flame, they'd have nowhere to escape to. We co-" Flavia was interrupted by the West-Khan.

"You could roast us like hams! Are you truly so eager to die, woman!?" Basilio cried.

"Have you any better ideas, you oaf? We've got no catapults. Urghh, how to get the oil onto their ships without having our own set ablaze.." Favia grumbled in frustration.

"Unless... Unless we _want_ our ships set ablaze.." Robin said carefully.

Everyone in the room looked at the tactician incredulously.

"How many drinks have you had tonight, boy? Why in the gods' names would you want to go and do that?" Basilio asked.

"Trust me. I think I've just pieced together a plan" Robin spoke with confidence.

"Those words are music to my ears" Chrom said, shooting Robin a look of praise.

Basilio sighed, " Well, I know better than to question Robin. Especially when he's got that look in his eyes."

"Everyone huddle round" Robin spoke, everyone grouping to the table where he sat. "For my plan to work, it's crucial that we disrupt the enemy's chain of command. To avoid any unnecessary casualties, we need only the best. The Shepherds and the two Khans will need to board their lead ship and take out their General."

"Even with the troops on a single vessel, they outnumber us nearly 10 to 1! With that many people, we could only hold out for so long!" Flavia cried.

"And it's exactly their numbers that'll be their downfall." Robin started. "Valm's known for their strong cavalry, correct? So it'd be wise to assume that they'd have plenty of horses below deck."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Flavia, still unconvinced.

"A team consisting of myself and 3 others would sneak down below amid the chaos. I'll light their ship ablaze from within and the smoke will be the signal for everyone to jump ship or escape via aerial unit. We'll then rile their horses and set them loose upon the deck."

"You plan to have them trampled down by their own mounts? Bwahaha!" laughed Flavia

"Yes, the stampede should be enough to disorientate the enemy. That's when someone, if they hadn't already, takes out their General. I want no heroics. Our goal is the General. After he's been taken care of, I want everyone to pull back."

"That plan just might work" said Basilio, rubbing his chin in thought. "And I'm assuming your plan extends to the rest of their fleet?"

Robin paused for a moment before speaking,"That's correct. We empty out half of our ships. After we take out their general and destroy their organization, we light the empty ships aflame using the oil and sail them into the enemy's. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to..." Robin paused again before continuing,"annihilate their entire fleet."

"Bwahaha! I'd expect nothing less from Yliss' master tactician." cried Flavia in approval.

The entire room cheered in agreement, all except for the blue haired princess. It seems that she had been the only one to notice. In between his explanation, she had noticed Robin's face had contorted into one of horror for a brief moment. She remembered their conversation a few days back and understood how he truly felt about such a plan. But he had made his choice. He would put their lives first despite his own morals, and he would carry that weight unbeknownst to anyone.

She took a final sip from her mug, then got up to leave the room.

"Okay, Kellam I nee.. where did he go?" Robin asked.

"Right here, Robin.." the man responded from beside him.

"Ahh! Oh, well, Kellam. I need you to cut everyone off. The last thing we need is for anyone to be hungover before the fight tomorrow"

The room was filled with groans.

Vaike and Basilio quickly chugged down the last of their drinks before Kellam could take them away, but were rewarded with a smack up the backsides of their heads by Flavia.

Chrom spoke up," You heard him, we've got no time to waste. We need those ships empty before dawn!"

Everyone slowly cleared out of the room to begin preparations.

* * *

><p>Robin sat alone in the now empty room. He had told Chrom he'd meet with them to help empty the ships after finalizing some details for the plan.<p>

It was a shameless lie. In truth he just needed some time alone to come to terms with tomorrow. He needed to steel himself.

'They're the enemy. They started this. They brought this upon themselves.' he mentally chanted to himself.

He poured himself a mug of ale and took a large gulp before resting his head in his hands.

The door opened and he had nearly jumped.

It was Lucina. She walked in and sat at the table across from him.

"And what can I do for you, princess?"

She noticed his voice had lost its usual bounce.

"What are you doing? You can't let this eat away at you. It must be done." Lucina spoke, knowing very well just how hypocritical she sounded.

"What do you know?" Robin spat.

"I can't claim to have been in your exact situation, but I have problems of my own. I too know the feeling of being bound to the responsibility of the lives of others. I've an entire future depending on me after all."

"No. You're not alone. The future depends on _all_ of us. We _all_ share that burden. But this plan was _mine_. Lives lost will be because of me."

"You've led the Shepherds through countless battles, lives were lost then. You don't seem to have let that phase you. So why is now of all times so different?"

"Because... because this is no battle. It's a massacre." he said looking up at her.

Lucina frowned.

Robin continued," A man dies with a sense of honor on the battlefield when he fights face to face with the enemy. These people tomorrow.. they won't even have a chance.. They aren't fighting, they're being murdered."

Lucina remained silent for awhile before speaking," I understand why you feel the way you do. However, you've got to look at the bigger picture. If Walhart wins, the world is his. Not only that, but Grima's resurrection would be all but unstoppable. If we don't pull through, billions will die."

"I know that.. I know what I'm doing is the right thing, but how? How can _I _pull through this?"

Lucina took a breath and thought for a moment.

"...By staying strong. You must honor those who die tomorrow by standing by your convictions. The real dishonor to them would be for you to do this half-heartedly. You can't execute such a plan and come to regret it later. Remember who and what you fight for, and give their death purpose."

"..."

Robin looked at his mug, letting Lucina's words sink in.

She poured a bit of ale for herself into a cup and took a sip.

Robin finally looked up and gave her a soft smile,"Thank you.. You're right. I can never justify killing them, but I can't let my doubts make their deaths in vain. If I do this, I do it not only for Yliss, but Valm as well. For _their_ families." His voice now growing in confidence.

Lucina nodded.

"I'm sorry, it turns out that you do know a lot about what I'm going through." he apologized.

Lucina took another sip. "In the future.. my future, countless people threw themselves away to get me to where I am now. I'd think to myself, why I wasn't the one who died. Why did it have to be them? After months of feeling this way, I finally realized. Such thoughts were disrespectful to their sacrifice. They died for a reason, and I had to make sure to carry that with me. Even before I joined the Shepherds, and while I was seperated from my comrades, I always thought that those who died to help me still stood by me. They wouldn't be able to rest peacefully until our mission was over. T-that's why.. that's why I can't fail... Not after all this.."

Lucina had been so lost in her own emotions, that she had not noticed that Robin had moved to the seat beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You're truly amazing" he said with admiration.

Lucina snapped out of her daze and blushed at the praise.

She finally took notice of his hand.

Robin pulled back his arm and smiled sheepishly.

Lucina allowed herself a soft smile as well.

"You know I must admit, I actually... really disliked you."

Robin was slightly taken back. "Huh? So then I really wasn't imagining things."

For the time more than a week since Lucina had joined them, he could've sworn that she had been shooting glares at him every now and then, but dismissed it as his imagination. But, in retrospect, along with their various encounters and Lucina's manner of speaking with him, everything was beginning to fall in place.

"D-did I do something to you?" Robin said, wondering of any possible reason.

"No. ...At least nothing I'm yet aware of..." Lucina had muttered that last bit under her breath before taking another sip. Robin didn't seem to notice.

"Do I just have that type of face then?" Robin asked, determined to get to the bottom of things.

"Let's just say..." Lucina chose her words carefully, making sure to not give her intentions away. "Let's just say that I really didn't know much about you in the future."

"Huh? Wasn't I around much?" Robin asked

"You were... It's just that you'd always been locked up in your room or at meetings.. You also travelled often so I'd rarely see you." she lied. She couldn't just let him know that he was nowhere to be found in the future.

"Wow, even years from now, sounds like Chrom's still running me into the ground with work..." Robin grumbled, beginning to wonder if a future with Grima were so bad after all..

Lucina nodded.

"So... so we're fine now, right?" Robin asked her, a hint of hope in his voice

She thought for a second.

Earlier, she had decided to get to know Robin for herself. And now, she figured that she'd be able to get more info on him if they were on good terms.

Lucina held out her hand.

Robin grabbed her hand and shook it, smiling warmly.

As soon as their shake had ended the door opened to reveal Chrom.

"Robin! What's keeping you? We'r... Lucina? Hoho, have you two finally made amends?" Chrom smiled, his wish for the two to finally get along granted.

"Hmm? Lucina just wanted to know about the plan in detail, so I showed her some of the notes I'd written down." Robin lied yet again to his friend.

"Oh, well that's good to hear. Hey, I thought you didn't want anymore drinking?" Chrom said as he saw the two mugs of alcohol on the table.

"I was drinking tea earlier. Besides, don't you think I deserve a bit after all the work I've been pulling?" Robin smirked.

"Gahh fine. Well just hurry up and get out here. You're with Frederick and Virion."

Robin drank the last of his ale. He turned and said his goodbyes with Lucina before making for the door.

As he passed Chrom, he leaned in, "She's got a good head on her shoulders. I'd be glad to help you fight off any ass that'd try to get a hold of her" he whispered with a grin before leaving to help the others.

Chrom didn't know what that was about, but was glad his friend had taken up his drunken offer.

* * *

><p>The sun had risen, its light painting the sky orange. Robin stretched and let out a yawn. He decided to go to the hall and get something to eat. They had a long day ahead of them.<p>

He was ready for it. There was no turning back now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This was a short chapter that serves as a prelude to the actual battle in Chapter 14 of the game. I changed some of the events around so that the discussion of the plan didn't take place 5 minutes before the fight. I also wish to add that so far, the interactions between Robin and Lucina have been purely platonic (Or are they?). They've still got some time left before they actually start to develop any romantic feelings (Or do they?).**

**I put this segment out as its own chapter since ended up being a little longer than I had planned.**

**So tell me how you're feeling about the story so far and feel free to leave any suggestions or criticisms! Don't worry, I can take it!**

**Til next time.**


	5. Flames on the Blue 2

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Flames on the Blue 2**

It was noon.

According to Gaius and Cordelia's reconnaissance, the Valmese were moments from arriving from the west.

Robin walked through the deck, giving his coat a quick pat to make sure he had his Bronze Sword and tomes on him.

The Shepherds were scattered around, preparing for their first battle of the campaign.

Chrom was speaking with Lucina, while Sumia had just finished outfitting her pegasus with its armor and saddle. Lucina caught sight of him and nodded, albeit friendlier this time around.

Sully and Stahl were polishing their spears, while Virion was making sure he had an adequate amount of arrows on him.

Cherche and Frederick were talking by Minerva. He'd be riding with her into the battle.

Lon'qu was seen with Lissa, who gave him a quick hug before he went off into the fight. He struggled at first, before easing into and reciprocating the hug.

Cordelia was bugging Gaius as to why he had thought to go into battle with his clothes in such as messy state. "It makes me look intimidating." He heard him say. Cordelia could then be seen brushing his hair with her fingers, much to his annoyance.

Miriel was berating Vaike for leaving his armorslayer in his cabin.

As he continued on his way, he saw Donnel staring at a certain blonde haired noble.

"Hey Donnel, what are you looking at?" Robin asked him with a smirk on his face.

"WHA!? WHO? I-I wasn't starin' at nobody! Honest!" Donnel stammered.

"I don't recall ever having said 'somebody'." the smirk growing by the second.

"I don't know w-what you're talkin' bout sir, I was just out here gettin ready for the battle!"

"Why don't you go try talking to her?" Robin asked, cutting to the chase.

"Ughhhh. Ain't nothin' get by you don't it?" Donnel let out a sigh. " Well I mean sure we've talked plenty of time before, but... well what business does a guy like me got 'round a cultured lady like her?" Donnel asked trying to hide his redness by pulling down his pot helm.

"Give me a break, Donnel. You give yourself less credit than you deserve. And by Shepherd standards, that's a lot."

"Y-you think so?"

"Look how far you've come. I bet nobody would've imagined you'd go from a small town, country boy, to fighting alongside the best soldiers in the continent. You're a hero Donny! I can't count the times you've saved my hide from some rogue who snuck past our assault lines, on both hands. And, you've also made me into one Ylisstol's finest snare crafters if I might add."Robin said with a smile.

Donnel perked up at his words,"Thanks a bunch Robin, but I still don't know how I'd even approach her."

Suddenly, "What careless lout elected to leave their belongings here!?" Maribelle cried, nearly tripping on a bag.

Hearing her, Donnel quickly searched around him only to discover that the bag had been his.

"Looks like the gods heard our little chat." Robin said as he shoved Donnel in her direction.

"Um, um. Gosh, I'm sorry! That's my pack!" Donnel said nervously.

"Well I ask that you would be more careful in the future! What if during an emergency, we were asked to evacuate and someone had tripped upon it. Your careless actions do not only go against proper conduct among the Shepherds, but such things are looked down upon by society."

"I-I didn't know, Maribelle. I'm real sorry. We didn't have any rules like that back home." Donnel looked down. He hadn't expected things to go as bad as they did.

"Very well, then. I shall take it upon myself to instruct you."

"Huh?" Donnel asked, dumbfounded.

"As soon as you get back, we shall began with the laws of Ylisse and the code of organizational regulations. As for now, just see to it that you return safely."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Robin chuckled at the sight. Well, a private lesson with Maribelle was some progress right?

He then saw Gaius, Panne, and Olivia come up to him.

"Glad you could make it." Robin said.

"Runnin' them down with their own horses. You really out do yourself Bubbles." said Gaius, as he sucked on a lolipop.

"I'm ready for our mission Robin. This Taguel will not disappoint." said Panne.

"T-thanks for bringing me along." said Olivia shyly.

Robin nodded, "Gaius has experience breaking and entering.." Where a normal person would've likely taken offense, the look on Gaius' face was as if he had remembered some fond memory.

"After Gaius, Olivia is our most nimble with Lon'qu and Anna need above deck" Olivia blushed.

"And finally, we'll need Panne's strength if something goes amiss." Panne nodded proudly.

"We'll board their ship right after everyone else. We need to be sure the enemy is occupied with their entrance. After she's sighted the entrance to the stables, Tharja will fire off some hexes as a smokescreen and marker. We're severely outnumbered in this fight, so every second counts. We need to get in and out as fast as we can, and if needed, take out their General."

They nodded.

"I said I needed the best, and I meant it." Robin grinned.

The three smiled at his praise.

"You can c-count on us!" Olivia said with determination.

"I know I can." said Robin proudly.

"Oy! Enemy ships to the west!" bellowed Basilio.

Everyone turned to see a line of ships form from the horizon.

"Everyone get ready! We're sailing right for them!" Chrom yelled.

"Flavia! Alert the other ships to be ready as soon as we get back!" Robin shouted to her.

The long awaited battle to repel the Valmese invasion had finally begun.

* * *

><p>They sped on, the sight of their enemy's massive lead warship growing as they neared.<p>

It appears their General had humored their little stunt and had ordered the rest of his fleet to stand by.

They were closing in quickly.

"Enemy fliers!" Yelled Virion, as he readied his bow and fired a shot. The arrow ripped through the sky and met its mark with great accuracy. The pegasus plummeted into the sea along with its rider.

Javelins rained down onto the deck. Thankfully, no one was hit.

Ricken and Tharja quickly retaliated, firing off bolts of lightning at the aerial units.

Those unlucky enough to fall to the deck were finished off by the Shepherds.

"We're almost there! Get ready to board the enemy vessel!" boomed Chrom.

***CRAGGSSHHH***

The two vessels grinded against one another, then came to a halt after both ships' anchors were dropped.

The Valmese troops had already put down a large plank to cross over, but were sent flying by a blast of wind.

"Charge in!" Chrom yelled as the Shepherds and Khans ran for the planks and boarded the enemy warship.

* * *

><p>They rushed into the enemy forces, led by the father-daughter duo.<p>

Chrom cut through a crowd of Valmese with little effort, Lucina by his side matching his feat.

A mage took aim at Lucina and fired off an Arcwind, but she evaded the attack and quickly dispatched of him.

Chrom spotted a line of archers. "Lucina!" he called for his daughters attention.

Lucina turned to Chrom and took notice of the archers. She nodded at him and broke into a sprint.

Chrom and Lucina ran up to the archers and slid down parallel to the line they had formed. They slashed at them while sliding, the 5 archers dropping down with one swipe.

As they got up, a large, heavily armed knight charged at them, attempting to halt their onslaught. Before the knight could pull back her spear, Chrom had drop kicked the top of her shield, knocking the knight backwards. Lucina, who had leaped into the air, fell to the ground and dug her Falchion deep into the thin gap between the woman's helm and chestplate.

As she pulled her blade out, she turned to find a sword wielding Valmese soldier closing the distance between them. The man's chest was suddenly run through from behind by a fine, thin blade. The blade receded his chest to reveal Anna.

"Thanks." Lucina said gratefully.

The Secret Seller winked then ran off to join Gregor to take on another group of soldiers.

Chrom jogged to Lucina's side and scanned the area cautiously, "I don't see their General, but keep on an eye out!" he yelled to the Shepherds.

Libra slammed his axe down onto another knight. It crushed its way into the armor leaving a large slit over the man's midsection. However, the blade of the axe failed to draw blood and Libra was forcefully shoved to the ground by the large man. The knight raised his sword and swung down onto the priest, but his actions were halted as an arrow found its way through the exposed armor and into his gut. The knight dropped his sword and fell to the ground. Libra jumped to his feet and cut down another soldier who had leapt at him. He turned to see a grinning Virion. Libra shot him a look of appreciation then moved on to the next opponent.

Vaike and Lon'qu found themselves back to back in the middle of a circle of several Valmese soldiers.

"Let's see if you payed attention during class" Vaike said to the myrmidon with a grin.

"Hmph, let's see if you can live up to all your blathering, Teach." Lon'qu smirked.

With his swift movements, Lon'qu sliced apart any soldier foolish enough to get caught in his reach.

Many rushed in, and equal numbers flew out.

Several armored units joined the circle and sped towards the two at the center from all sides.

"Duck!" Vaike yelled.

Lon'qu dropped to the ground.

Vaike grabbed his Armorslayer's grip with both hands, then with all his might, swung it in a circular arc around him as he spun on his feet.

The armored units couldn't slow themselves down fast enough and their armor was mauled to shreds by the metallic buzzsaw, sending them flying back and onto their fellow men.

"Heh, seems those muscles _aren't_ merely for show, fool." Lon'qu smiled as he hopped to his feet.

"Yeah, I rule." Vaike said with a grin. "Crap! We've got a mage over here!" he yelled, just as a Valmese Sage fired off an Elthunder.

The bolt struck in between them and they were sent falling onto their backs.

A few bruises and slightly numbed limbs here and there, but they hadn't been severely injured. But soon as they got up, they were greeted to the view of the same sage, who had nearly finished charging up another attack.

Before he could let of a second Elthunder, a blue blur crashed down on him from the heavens.

Vaike and Lon'qu looked up to see Cherche and Minerva.

They looked back down at the now dead sage and saw Frederick pull out his lance from the corpse's chest.

"I believe it is _I_ that 'rules'" said Frederick with a devilish smile.

Lon'qu and Vaike smirked.

"Any sign of him?" Frederick asked.

"Not yet." Lon'qu breathed.

"Well we better find him fast. There's too damn many of them! Uh, not that the Vaike can't handle it.."

The four pulled themselves together and braced themselves for another wave of enemies.

Across the deck, a Valmese archer had spotted a lone target. He pulled back on his longbow and shot off an arrow. It traveled across the deck, between several soldiers, and grazed Henry's arm, leaving a large gash.

"Gyah, blood! ... ... ...Heheeey, blooood" the sorcerer chuckled, now more amused by the red liquid than he was concerned of the wound.

The archer stood looking towards the direction where he had fired. Between the shifting crowd of soldiers, he could make out a young, silver haired man eerily waving towards him.

The archer's heart raced and he frantically reached for another arrow.

Henry, taking delight in the man's terror smiled as he readied his Ruin tome.

The archer had just barely pulled back when..

"Special deliveryyy."

An orb of darkness blasted through the deck, taking out a few other Valmese on its way to obliterate the archer.

Henry laughed at the sight and went along his merry way.

* * *

><p>Above the sea of soldiers, on the upper deck, stood the Valmese General Ignatius, clad in large, red body armor.<p>

The General gazed upon the battle taking place," Heh, they'd wager so little men against all of ours? They're either brave or very stupid.."

He was confident their overwhelming numbers would eventually crush the Shepherds, but he was losing far too many men for his liking.

"Either way, their bodies will float on the long sea before the day is done."

He saw a large tanned man and woman taking on a horde of his men, ferocious smiles painted on their faces.

"The damn Khans are here too?"

Just before Ignatius was about to join in on the brawl, a javelin flew by and scraped his shoulder plate. The javelin slid past, barely leaving a scratch.

He looked up to see a brown haired woman riding a pegasus.

"I-I think I've spotted him! He's the armored one on the upper deck!" yelled Sumia from her pegasus down to the others.

"Tch, damn pest." Ignatius grabbed Sumia's javelin from the floor and took aim.

"SUMIA!"

"MOTHER!" The two screamed in terror.

But before she could react, it was too late.

"AGHH!"

The javelin sliced through the side of her leg, and pierced into the beast's leg. It's ivory side had now been stained in both it and its masters blood. The pegasus' flight was interrupted from the pain that coursed through its body and they fell from the air.

"N-no!" Sumia cried in fear for her precious friend's life rather than her own injury.

As they spiraled out of the sky uncontrollably, they were caught in the arms of a large reptilian creature.

"Nowi!" Sumia gasped in relief.

"Hehe. I've got you!" she said. "Don't worry! I'll get her somewhere safe!" she called to the injured woman's relieved family, as she flew Sumia back to one of their own ships.

"Gods.. I thought I lost her.. again…" Lucina said, fighting back tears.

Chrom saw his daughter, the horror that had filled him just moments ago had now turned to anger.

He glared towards the upper deck and at Ignatius, who made his way down the stairs to join the conflict.

He turned to Lucina," Are you ok?" he spoke softly.

"Yes.. Let's hurry and put an end to this." she said.

Chrom nodded.

"You heard Sumia! He's our target! Robin said no unnecessary fighting!" Chrom ordered.

Despite being completely overwhelmed, the Shepherds slowly made their way through the crowd of enemies towards their mark.

* * *

><p><em>Minutes Earlier<em>

"Alright Bubbles, we're in." said Gaius.

"Olivia, how's it look?" Robin asked.

Olivia peeked her head around the corner," The coast is clear."

"Nice work everyone. But this is just the start." Robin said.

The four members of the team had snuck into the interior of the ship with help from Tharja. After walking for a bit, they came to a large hall with a ramp leading further down inside.

At the top of the hall, "That must be the main gate." Robin said as he pointed towards a large wooden double-door. "It looks like they've got it locked up. This job's yours Gaius. And make sure the door isn't completely shut afterwards, when the horses come running through here, we'll need them to notice that this is a way out."

"Yeah, yeah I got this." Gaius said as he got to work.

Robin peeked through a window and looked at the battle ensuing outside. He saw a sea of Valmese soldiers moving about. He could make out Lucina dropping from the sky and plunging her sword into a Valmese knight. All of a sudden, a swordsman had caught the best of her and was about to strike. The tactician felt his heart stop. "Lucina!" Robin yelled aloud, surprising Panne and Olivia with his outburst. His panic had made him forget that they were supposed to be keeping a low profile. But before the swordsman could attack, he stopped dead in his tracks. Anna had cut him down before he could reach the princess. Robin let out a quick sigh of relief.

"Robin! You said we were supposed to be quiet!" Olivia loudly whispered.

"Sorry, it's jus-"

"She'll be fine," said Panne, who had also seen the events unfold. "she's got her father and the rest of the Shepherds by her side, after all. "

"Yeah, you're right." Robin said, slightly ashamed for momentary belittling the faith he had in his 'family'.

"Are you, worried for her, Robin?" asked Olivia.

"Huh? Of course I'm worried about her. She's been through too much for her story to end here. Besides, I think she's just started to warm up to me." he said, his frown turning to a small grin as he finished.

Panne and Olivia exchanged a knowing look, both smiled silently.

"I see" said Panne.

Robin had been completely unaware of how others may have interpreted his word's implications, as he had only intended what he had said to be seen from the perspective of a concerned friend.

As a result, he was dumbfounded at the now giggling Olivia.

"All right, I'm back. Huh? What'd I miss?" asked Gaius at the sight of Olivia softly giggling behind a hand.

She and Panne had both elected to keep the incident between them. Gaius looked to Robin, both shrugged in ignorance.

"Alright, let's get moving." said Robin as he led the way, the others trailing him.

After reaching the bottom of the ramp, they opened a second set of large wooden doors to reveal exactly what Robin had predicted.

A massive room, with rows of stables in which the Valmese had kept their horses.

"We're in luck, the horses don't seemed to be locked in. Okay, first thing's first. Everyone take a row and open up all the gates." Robin said to the group.

"Right!" the three said in unison as they went off to follow the order.

After the job had been done, the horses were now free to leave their confines, some even walking out to freely roam the room.

"And now, we set things into motion. Stand back!" Robin yelled as he readied his tome.

Robin unleashed a blast of Elfire toward the bales of hay at the back of the room. The flame grew larger, consuming anything within its reach. Smoke began to rise to ceiling and out the many windows.

"Alright! The others should take notice any moment now. But.. these horses, they don't seem as bothered as I'd hoped..." Robin said in frustration.

He had thought the raging fire would be enough to rile the horses, but they seemed only moderately bothered as the herd briskly walked to the other side of the room to avoid the inferno.

Panne slammed her hands onto the floor as she morphed into her beast form, "Leave that to me."

She let out a ferocious roar that echoed through the room and dashed fiercely towards the horses.

The horses, witnessing the beast, let out loud cries before they dashed through the open doors and up the ramp.

Panne chased the large herd through the hall towards the top of the ramp.

The horses, who had sought to escape her pursuit, galloped on, bursting past the wooden doors and onto the deck with extraordinary velocity.

"Good work, Panne!" Robin said as she made her way back to them.

"The Taguel are peaceful, yet ferocious beings." she replied pridefully.

"I have no doubts," Robin smiled. "Now that's taken care of, let's head out."

As they made for the exit, Robin stopped Gaius."I know this might be asking for too much, but somewhere in here is their war room."

"I kinda see where this is going.." Gaius said.

"Any documents or notes we can recover could be invaluable to our fight. I'm not ordering you to do this, but if you're confident that you can manag-"

Gaius cut him off "Who do you think you're talking to here, Bubbles? I live for this kind of thing."

"Thank you. However, if your search comes up empty after 5 minutes, just get out of here."

"Heh, that'll give me enough spare time to raid their pantry." Gaius said mischievously.

"What? I'm telling you to lea- ugh, whatever. 5 minutes! Understand!?" he yelled.

But Gaius had already taken off.

* * *

><p>Chrom was in the middle of a showdown against the Valmese General himself.<p>

Lucina, Anna and Gregor were fending of the soldiers that were trying to rush in to break up the duel and aid their leader.

The other Shepherds were still on their way, as they struggled to fight back the enemy forces.

Chrom thrust his Falchion towards Ignatius's exposed throat.

Despite his heavy armor, Ignatius had proven quite agile as he twisted his body to the side and slipped past the blade.

He pulled back his free arm and punched the prince hard in the gut.

The metal fist slammed into Chrom, sending him sliding back on his feet. He recovered from the knockback, slamming the tip of his Falchion into the floorboards as he leaned on it to catch his breath.

"Is this the best you Ylisseans have to offer? Is this is all the strength you can muster? How can you ever hope to stand a chance against our glorious emperor?" spoke Ignatius in a calm but condescending manner. It was evident the man held great respect and admiration towards Walhart. A man with such devotion would be a tough adversary.

Ignatius turned his attention towards Anna and quickly lunged at her.

"Look out!" Chrom yelled.

The three glanced back to find Ignatius striding at them.

He swung at Anna, but she leapt into a backflip, out of harms way.

"Woah, easy there, big guy." Anna smiled, before she ran back towards him and slashed at his head with blinding speed.

Ignatius ducked and just barely missed the blade as it cut his cheek.

"Ugh!" He quickly countered by flailing his axe, striking Anna with the flat side. She was sent crashing backwards into some barrels.

Ignatius wiped his bloodied cheek and smirked in satisfaction at the sight of Anna's form, weakly getting up from the ground.

Suddenly, he had noticed that the sunlight that was beating down upon him only moments ago had been obscured. He looked up to see Chrom plummeting towards him in a spinning, forward slash.

The speed of the attack had caught him off guard and the Falchion cut deep hole into his armor. The deck nearly shook from the impact.

Chrom wasn't done just yet, as he followed up his strike with several high speed slashes.

Valmese soldiers all around took notice of the tight spot their leader was in, quickly making haste to his side.

However, the rest of the Shepherds were steps ahead of them and had blocked off their path, striking them down one by one.

Lucina held out a hand to Anna, helping her up. Gregor who had been left fighting alone was joined by Basilio and Flavia.

Lucina noticed smoke rising from the sides of the ship. "The signal! He did it!" Lucina yelled to her comrades.

They all looked skyward.

"That's our signal to get out of here, right? What of their General?" shouted Basilio.

"My father's got him on the ropes. Have no fear, I'll stay and have his back. You all pull back before _it_ starts."

The Shepherds nodded and fought their way to the sides of the ship to jump into sea.

"I'll remain here with you milady." said Frederick as he ran over, refusing to leave Chrom and his daughter behind.

"You have my thanks." She spoke.

They continued to make sure Chrom had the Ignatius to himself, but the amount of soldiers rushing in was simply too many for them to handle.

And then, the deck of the ship trembled. Loud, percussive claps thundering through the air.

"WHA!?" "TAKE COVER!" "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" "THEY'RE CRAZED!"

"GYAH! The horses! The damned beasts have gone mad!" yelled a Valmese soldier just before he was trampled.

The Valmese troops were thrown into complete disarray as the horses stampeded onto the battlefield, running over anyone unlucky enough to get caught up in their frenzy.

"You dastards! What manner of trickery is this?" screeched Ignatius, as he witnessed his men fall one by one to their own mounts.

"A parting gift from our tactician!" retorted Chrom.

Ignatius was being slowly pushed back, blocking Chrom's strikes with his axe.

Chrom's onslaught was too much for the General to withstand and he soon found himself stumbling backwards onto the railings of the ship. Chrom slammed his Falchion mightily onto Ignatius once more, but its edge was caught by his axe. With their weapons locked onto one another, Chrom pushed down hard, the tip of his Falchion inching ever closer to Ignatius's throat, blades screeching as they grinded against one another. Ignatius struggled to resist the force pressing down on him, summoning all his strength to overpower the prince.

"Tell me.. what do you hope.. to accomplish.. by winning here?" breathed Ignatius as he pushed on. "Our cause.. is a noble one.. He seeks only to rid this world of strife..."

Chrom maintained his superiority and kept on pressing down," And you're trying to accomplish that... by invading the homes of others? I'd be a damned fool... if I were ever to buy into such logic.."

"Humans are weak... They need a strong.. leader to usher them out... of their own destructive ways..."

"You speak of nothing but tyranny... A true leader _earns_ the respect of his people... He trusts and guides them despite their misdoings... This world has no place for such rule..." Chrom breathed, remembering his sister Emmeryn.

"Hahaha... is that what you believe? ..Is that... what you fight for?"

"That's of no concern to you... Right now.. I fight for my wife.." Chrom spoke, with one final push, the blade was touching Ignatius's neck when...

***BAMM***

One of the horses had dashed past the two, slamming against Chrom as it rushed by. The prince was thrown onto the floor meters away.

"Gagh." Chrom coughed as he slowly got up, clutching his right shoulder.

He looked up to see Ignatius looming over him with look of disgust. He was then kicked in the side of the head by the General's armored leg, knocking him back onto the floor.

Ignatius looked around at his ship. The horses where going mad, his men were limping about, battered and bruised. Countless bodies littered the deck and a fire was ravaging the port side.

He glared down at the prince, who lay unconscious, and raised his axe, "Fool, I too fight for someone else. And I'll see to it that he sits atop this world, where he rightfu-"

***GZZZANNNNN***

Before he could speak any further, Ignatius was struck by an Arcthunder and was thrown across the deck as he found himself with his back against the ship's railings once more.

As his body twitched from the shock, he saw a man clad in a black and purple robe, holding a tome.

"Finish him off!" the man yelled.

He turned his head to the side and saw a blue haired woman thrust her sword into the opening in his armor.

"GYAGH!?" His body shook.

His hands slowly coming up from his sides to grasp the Falchion's blade.

He stared up at his assailant, sight slowly blurring.

"It matters.. not.. Strike me down.. and 10 more take my place..." he sputtered, a trail of blood dripping from the side of his mouth.

The color left Ignatius's eyes as his vision slowly faded to nothingness.

The General went limp. He had fallen.

"Father!" shouted Lucina as she ran to Chrom.

She kneeled down to him and rest his head on her lap.

"Milord!" Frederick hurriedly rushed to Chrom's side. He checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Chrom! Is he alright?" asked Robin as he ran over.

Frederick let out a sad smile, "He's alive, thank the gods. Leave him to me, I'll be sure he gets out of here safely."

"T-thank you" said Lucina, relieved her father was fine. "Wait. Don't forget this." she said as she sheathed her father's Falchion into his scabbard.

Lucina left Chrom in Frederick's care as she headed back to retrieve her own Falchion.

She slowly pulled out the sword from the General's chest and turned to the robed man who was walking up to her.

"It seems that your strategy went as planned. Fine work" she said to him.

"Yeah, but _we all_ pulled it off." said Robin.

He knelt down to Ignatius's lifeless body and put a hand to the man's face. With two fingers, he closed the man's eyes shut.

Behind him, Lucina let a bittersweet smile grace her lips. She admired the strength he had to retain his humanity, even amid all this death.

"Y-you dastards!" "Get the hell away from him!"

Lucina and Robin snapped their heads to the voices and found six battered Valmese soldiers, who now had their weapons trained on them. After picking themselves up, they had seen the fate that befell their General.

The two backed up against the railings, Robin pulling out his Bronze Sword. Lucina quickly scanned the area for her father and Frederick. On the other side of the deck, she saw Frederick carrying him over his shoulder alongside Panne, Olivia and Gaius. Frederick motioned for them to escape as they hopped over the railings and into the water.

"You two! Get off! Now!" They looked up to see Cherche and Minerva. Minerva had two barrels gripped in her feet.

Lucina quickly spun around and threw her right arm around Robin's waist.

"Hey, what the hel-" but before Robin could finish, Lucina had thrown both of themselves off the side of the ship and into the cold sea.

Cherche, confirming that no other allies were on the ship, gave a Minerva a small gesture.

Minerva pierced the barrels she held in her feet with her talons and oil spilled onto the deck.

They flew around the ship, the oil spilling onto the deck, guiding the flames inwards.

Before long, both warships had been consumed by the raging inferno.

* * *

><p>Robin climbed the rope up the side of one of their fleet's ships. Upon grabbing for the deck, he was hoisted up by Lon'qu and Basilio.<p>

"Ba ha ha! There he is! And just in time for the grand finale!" Basilio laughed.

Their fleet had sent some smaller boats out to pick up the Shepherds that had dove into the ocean. He and Lucina had been hanging onto one another for only a few minutes before their rescue arrived.

Lissa had come and brought blankets for everyone.

Robin wrapped it around himself as he shivered.

"H-hey? Where's he at?" asked Ricken in panic.

"I thought he was with you!" cried Stahl.

Robin immediately ran to them. "WHO? Who got left behind?!" He demanded, as he shook Stahl's shoulders.

"Donny! I haven't seen him since I jumped ship!" Stahl said, face filled with anguish.

The three set their sights on the two warships in the distance. The smoldering flame that engulfed the vessels would deny any left aboard of life.

Robin's insides crumbled.

"Gods, where is he? I told him that I would begin his lesson as soon as he had returned." It was Maribelle, it seems she wasn't aware of the current crisis.

"Robin, have _you _seen Donnel?" she asked expectantly.

He grit his teeth. His words failed him.

"It is rude to ignore someone when they are speaking you, Robin." she went on.

Robin felt as if he would collapse. 'Damn it, Donny. I'm.. I'm so sor-'

"I think you're missing this one."

Stahl, Ricken and Robin's looked up.

It was Cordelia. She landed onto the deck. Her pegasus brought it's wings down, to reveal an exhausted Donnel seated behind her.

"Ah, there you are. I see you fancy keeping a girl waiting." huffed Maribelle with crossed arms.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am. It's jus-"

"Oh hush, I was merely joking. Now come along, you have earned yourself a nice, hot meal." she said as she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the ship, Donnel blushing like mad.

Robin's heart was pounding at an incredible rate as he shakily gave him a thumbs up.

He closed his eyes and let out a loud sigh of relief. Stahl threw an arm around him and Ricken's necks and let out a laugh.

Everyone was accounted for. No Shepherd or Khan had fallen.

After a good laugh with the two, Robin strolled around the deck, congratulating all the Shepherds on a job well done.

He came to Gaius. "Glad to see you made it out safely." Robin started, patting him on the back.

Gaius pulled the sucker from his mouth," Yeah, same here." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. " I managed to snag these before the place went up in flames. I couldn't find the war room, but I did stumble upon their General's. At least that's who I think it belonged to, I mean you should've seen the bed this guy slept on."

Gaius handed over a few soaked sheets of paper and a ledger.

"Thanks, Gaius. I'll see to it that you get an extra helping of dessert later." Robin said.

"That's what I like to hear." he said with a smirk before he walked off.

Robin was about to open up the booklet when Lucina walked up to him, "Robin, be strong."

Before he could even ask, several explosions could be heard in the distance.

Everyone ran to the front of the the ship.

Hundreds of their flaming warships crashed into the Valmese fleet. One by one, the ships lit up and tangled masts with adjacent vessels as they sank to the abyss.

The oil bled into the sea, forming a tide of death.

Lissa gasped at the sight, "The sea itself is on fire!"

"Only you could hatch such a brilliant scheme, Robin." said Flavia. "Who else would think to turn our empty ships into flaming cannonballs? It was so simple, yet the Valmese never saw it coming."

Everyone turned to the tactician who had remained silent.

Rather than accept their praise, Robin straightened up and gathered his strength. He closed his eyes and put a hand to his chest.

Lucina looked up from next to him. His jaw had been clenched, arms shaking.

The gesture seemed to have caused some confusion among the Shepherds, but upon realizing, they too followed suit.

They all stood at the edge of the ship, silently paying their respects to their fallen adversaries.

They stayed like that for a few moments, each reflecting to themselves.

Robin cast his dull eyes down at the ledger in his hand. He gripped it gently.

He noticed a small sheet of paper hanging out from in between the pages and pulled it out.

It was a hand drawn picture of a smiling, stick figure man, on an awkwardly sketched sail boat.

Scrawled at the bottom: 'I luv dady'

His strength vanished.

Tears streamed down his face, as Robin fell to his knees and trembled.

Lucina leaned over and rested a supportive hand on his shoulder once again.

Her eyes wandered to the picture that had fallen to the ground.

She let out a gasp.

Her hand squeezed Robin's shoulder tightly, as she tried, but failed to fight back the tears in her eyes.

Their first battle against Valm was won.

They were heroes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yikes, I felt so bad after writing that ending. I hope you err, enjoyed it. At least all the Shepherds lived, right?**

**Well, this concludes this arc.**

**Tell me what you thought and any problems that need addressing. Also feel free to let me know how you think the story should progress from this point.**

**I look forward to bringing you the next chapter!**

**Til next time.**


	6. Calm Tides

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Calm Tides**

The Ylissean Fleet made their way towards Valm Harbor.

However, due to wind conditions, they would be delayed by a day or two.

The wind had suddenly fallen flat after their battle yesterday, leaving their pace at half the speed they had normally been moving.

The superstitious among them saw it as an ill omen, while most of them just saw it as a free day to catch a breather.

Some Shepherds had elected to stay in their rooms to rest, while many others occupied themselves with whatever activities were available onboard.

The battle had been brief, but very taxing on them. Many had at least a few minor injuries, but some like Chrom were in bed for the remainder of the day.

But perhaps, the one who had payed the biggest toll at the end of it all was Robin.

Robin sat in his cabin alone, reading over the documents that Gaius had recovered.

He had momentarily allowed himself to be consumed by guilt yesterday.

He felt it was only right to feel such a way, as no matter what the reason, he had still murdered all those soldiers.

However, he had bounced back from it quite fast. He had Lucina to thank for that. She had told him it was dishonorable to them to have done such a thing without strong conviction, and he had fully believed in her words.

Robin stood strong. He felt terrible for what he did, but he had no room for regrets. He would keep moving forward.

He continued compiling the info from the papers.

* * *

><p>Lucina had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with her mother and some of her friends. She had been quite comfortable with them, as they had been like family to her in the future.<p>

The five of them had one of the ship's cabins to themselves.

"So how are you holding up? I mean I've taken a few hits to the legs myself, but you took it like a champ." said Sully.

"Hehe, no, no! It's not that bad! Really!" said Sumia as she stood up to expose the bandaging around her leg. "And besides, I was much more worried about my darling pegasus."

"That poor thing, I hope she gets better. " said Olivia softly.

"You've got to be more careful Sumia!" Cordelia said with worry.

"Yes. She's right mother, even the most wary of fighters can be caught off guard. Even father.." Lucina said. She felt guilty speaking to her mother in such a manner, but she spoke out of concern.

Sumia took notice and wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a hug. "Oh, I'm sorry everyone." she spoke from atop Lucina's head. "And I'll be sure to give your father a nice, long talk later." she said. Lucina smiled.

Chrom was in for a long night.

"Well what's done is done, and you're back all the same." said Sully. "So moving this along, how's it feel to have a family Sumia?" she asked, attempting to brighten the mood.

"Oh it's simply a dream! I never would've even imagined any of this 2 years ago." Sumia gushed.

"And only 2 years in, and you've got a newborn and a.. um, how old are you now, Lucina?" Cordelia asked.

"I turned 20 this year." she said.

"Man, to find you've got a daughter not much younger than yourself has got to be some shock, eh?." Sully said.

Lucina shuffled nervously.

"Hmm, well it is a bit odd.. but no matter what, she's my little angel." Sumia said, as she kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Mother.." Lucina happily said as she closed her eyes, accepting the kiss.

"Well little angel or not, she's a fully grown woman. And quite a fine one, I might add. She's got the best of both of you." said Cordelia.

"And she's real tough to boot." added Sully.

Lucina lightly blushed at their compliments.

"I'd be lucky to ever have a girl of my own.." Cordelia finished quietly.

"W-what about Gaius?" Olivia added. She blushed furiously at her boldness.

Cordelia took it a step further, her face now nearly as red as her hair. "G-Gaius? ..I don't know what y-"

"C'mon, you really gonna bother trying to hide it? We've seen how you are with him. I don't suppose you two just got picked together for scouting at random?" Sully said with a smirk.

"I-I.. He's re.. " Cordelia stuttered.

"How about you and Stahl?" Sumia innocently asked Sully, coming to her best friend's rescue.

"Hah! I haven't got the slightest clue what you're on about." Sully said, trying keep a straight face.

"I don't suppose _y-you_ two got picked together for training everyday at random?" Olivia boldly mirrored Sully's earlier point, earning her a thankful look from Cordelia.

"You cowards. Teaming up on me, huh? W-well what about you, Olivia?" Sully pointed to her.

"M-me?" the dancer shuffled in her seat.

"Yeah you. You're always bandaging up that new guy. You know. That creepy one."

"H-he's not creepy!" Olivia cried.

Sully smirked. Olivia had now topped Cordelia in terms of blushing.

"Wait a minute. Wouldn't she know?" Cordelia asked as she pointed.

The four women turned to Lucina.

Lucina gulped.

"That's right! Don't _you_ know who they end up with, dear? " her mother asked politely, but Lucina could see the mischief in her eyes.

Lucina sat quietly.

This was a problem. True, she had already chosen the path in which she accepts the changes she brings to this world, but she was now faced with a new threat. If she were to interfere with their personal lives _too_ much, there's a chance that... that _they _would never come to be. "I know." she spoke calmly.

The women waited for her to continue.

Sully feigned disinterest, but her eyes showed wanting.

Cordelia had bitten her lower lip nervously.

Olivia had her arms curled to her chest.

Sumia was visibly bouncing with anticipation to hear of her friend's soul mates.

Lucina breathed. "I know, but... I can't tell you. It would bring too much trouble. I know this sounds much like my old way of thinking, but..I ask that you trust me on this."

The four women wore looks of disappointment.

Even Sully, before she again tried to pass it off.

"I will tell you one thing,"

The women's ears perked up.

"All of you... you were all, _very_ happy in the future."

They all smiled softly, before joining each other in a round of laughter.

Lucina was unsure of their reactions at first, but soon found herself smiling as well.

To be honest, seeing these women get into such a ridiculous yet playful fight reminded her a lot of her cherished moments with her own companions. ..._Her_ friends.

'They _are_ their children after all...' Lucina thought happily.

As the laughter settled down, Cordelia spoke up. "Now, I believe it is a bit unfair that only _you_ get out of this unscathed." she said to Lucina with a smile.

Lucina had a very bad feeling about this.

" Have _you_ got someone over there in the future?"

Sumia turned to her with wide, hopeful eyes.

It was Lucina's turn to blush. Not out of denial, but rather of embarassment of having to talk about such matters with her mother present.

"I-I do not. With the future in the state it was... I'd say such ideas were not exactly at the forefront of my thoughts. " Lucina replied as calm as she could.

"That's a shame. " Sully said. "Strong and pretty? You'd have any guy you wanted." Sully concluded warmly.

"...How about someone from here?" Olivia blurted out. Although she later figured that Robin most likely didn't have any hidden meaning in what he had said during the battle , the cuteness of the thought couldn't leave her be.

The three women and Lucina looked at her in shock.

Olivia instantly felt regret. She had always sought to be a bit less soft spoken, and was making great progress. But now, she had already gotten away with spouting some extremely bold things in the last 5 minutes alone.

After the brief silence, Sumia squealed with excitement. She had always been a hopeless romantic, so she had been delighted when she entertained the thought of possibly helping her grown daughter with her love life.

Cordelia also thought the idea appealing, but didn't reveal it as openly as Sumia had.

Sully put a hand to her forehead as she let out a small laugh, knowing very well just how enthusiastic Sumia and Cordelia could get about such things. "Olivia, apologize. Apologize to Lucina immediately. " she laughed.

"I'm sorry!" Olivia panicked.

Lucina had clenched her fist, and gazed downwards, the redness still on her.

She slowly began to wonder how she emerged from such a fierce battle just yesterday, and ended up in such a ridiculous situation only one day after.

She was unused to such sporadic moments of carefreeness.

As she slowly looked up, the four had already been conjuring up suggestions on who would best match her.

"How about the blacksmith's son?" Cordelia asked.

"No way! My little girl deserves the best!" Sumia denied.

"Mother!"

"Mother's busy right now, honey." said Sumia as she brushed her objection off.

Lucina wanted to die.

Figuring that they would be at it for a while, and knowing for sure she didn't want to stick around for the rest of it, she got up and left.

The women continued on with their little 'inventory check' without noticing.

"Ricken? " Olivia thought aloud.

"I don't think so... He looks too young for Lucina, and I think he's a bit attached to Nowi."

"How about Donnel? "asked Sully.

"Nooo, Stahl was telling me that Robin had finally got him to talk to Maribelle."

Cordelia thought for a second. " How about... Robin?" she asked.

"BWAHAHA! Robin? My son in law? HAHAHA." Sumia cried with tears in her eyes.

The girls all laughed at the idea.

As it died down, Sumia had actually given it some thought.

"But you know, I actually wouldn't mind."

"Ohhh?" the women cooed.

"I mean he's a wonderful guy. I'm sure he of all people could find a way to make her happy." Sumia smiled.

"Haha, you might be right. Robin's a real pal." said Sully.

Cordelia and Olivia nodded in agreement.

"But, I'm still not sure it could work out." Sumia said thoughtfully.

"Afraid Chrom'll kill him?" Sully laughed.

"Oh, I suppose that would be another problem. But it's just that I've noticed ever since she's joined us, Lucina's seemed a little standoffish towards Robin."

"Really? I think they'd at least make a strong team. They did take down that Valmese General together." Cordelia reassured.

"I guess. But... Oh what am I saying? I shouldn't be thinking about this." Sumia said as she sobered up from her excitement. "As fun as this, my girl's all grown up. She can find someone for herself, and I'll support her in whatever she chooses to do."

"Haha, is this really Sumia saying this? Man, being a mother sure changes you." Sully chuckled.

Sumia laughed. As cute as the idea was, Robin was a good friend of her's and Chrom. All she could hope for was that the two would at least get along.

After finally taking notice of Lucina's absence, the friends continued talking to one another for a while longer.

* * *

><p>Lucina was leaning against the railing of the ship.<p>

She had been thoroughly embarrassed with her mother and friend's conversation, so she was out here to try and clear her head.

The thought of her falling in love was something she had rarely pondered. Although, when she was younger, she loved reading stories of princesses being rescued by brave knights, wishing one day that she too would be whisked away by such heroes. Lucina's cheeks tinged red at remembering her child self.

But those were days long past. Her happiness was fleeting as the world slowly crumbled around her. One might say that the crisis had forced her to abandon such innocence. She had grown into a strong woman who had led her own squad of fighters, much like her father.

She had focused her thoughts on her mission to distract herself, when she noticed someone walk by.

It was Robin.

"Hm? What are you doing out here, Lucina?" he asked as he walked up beside her.

Lucina turned to him. "Just getting some fresh air."

She looked at his face. He seemed much healthier compared to yesterday.

"I see you've gotten over it." she stated.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't get hung up over it forever. If I didn't pull myself together, more lives could be lost. " He said as he leaned his elbows on the railings. "Thanks again, by the way."

"Hm?"

"It was you who helped me overcome such thoughts to begin with. Actually, I don't know what I would have done without your words of wisdom." he said gratefully.

"Think nothing of it. You are an important comrade after all. This war would be lost without you."

"Yeah, but I owe you one" Robin said, a little disappointed she had referred to him as a 'comrade' rather than as a friend. He had thought they had just started to open up to one another.

"There's no need. Just make sure you stay focused on our goal. We have a long road ahead of us."

"I will."

The two stood together on the deck in silence, looking out at the sea.

"Have you had anything to eat yet?" she asked.

Robin turned to her in surprise. "Um not yet, I've been cooped up in my room all day."

"That won't do, you need to make sure you're properly fed or your performance will begin to degrade."

"Thanks, mom" Robin smirked.

Lucina shot him a look of annoyance. "How a man like you managed to best Gangrel, I'll never know."

"Haha, I bet you're not the first to think that."

"I've no doubts about that." she said as she let out a small smile. "Well, lets go get something to eat shall we? I've yet to have lunch myself."

"Sounds good." he said as the two walked off to the mess hall.

Unbeknownst to them, Sumia had seen the two and spied on their conversation.

She smiled as she peeked her head around the corner.

"Sumia? What're you doing? Sully's already at the stables." Cordelia called to her.

"I-I'm not spying on anyone! You can't prove that!" she jumped.

Cordelia shook her head and continued on her way.

"Cordelia, wait up!" she said as she chased after her friend.

As they made their way to the stables, Sumia thought happily to herself, 'Maybe they aren't as distant as I remembered..'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Think of it as the aftermath of their battle. It's a some Lucina/Robin indirect fluff and also a bit more light hearted in comparison to the ending of the last chapter.**

**A mother really knows best huh?**

**Next arc is the siege of Valm Harbor.**

**Til next time!**


	7. Smoldering Resistance 1

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Smoldering Resistance 1**

It was an early morning when the Shepherds and company had finally arrived at Valm Harbor.

Their ships floated a few miles out at sea, just barely visible from land.

The original plan was to rush the enemy and quickly storm the town. Unfortunately, a quick scouting from their fliers revealed that the Valmese had been expecting them and had already taken measures to fortify the town in wait for the assault. Their numbers were in the few thousands.

To rush in now would be to walk into a potentially lethal trap. Robin had suggested to anchor their ships out at sea and take their time to prepare. With the enemy already lying in wait, there was no need to be hasty.

And so, the Shepherds and Feroxi Khans and commanders held a strategy meeting.

* * *

><p>Robin, Chrom, Flavia and Basilio were seated at a table in front of everyone else.<p>

"So how do we go about this? Is there anything we know about their forces?" asked Flavia.

Chrom started off, "We already know their strength with cavalry, but according to the recon team, they appear to have several mages, including dark knights among this time around. "

"They've also barricaded the town and dug trenches across the beach." added Basilio, leaning back into his chair.

"Judging by this roster Gaius retrieved, " Robin shuffled through a stack of papers until he came across the one he was looking for, "the troops stationed at Valm Harbor have no aerial units or archers. The roster mentions little about equipment, so assuming their mages aren't all outfitted with wind magic, we have air superiority."

"But we don't have the luxury for assumptions. The last thing we want is our fliers to be shot out of the sky out of hubris. " said Basilio.

"I agree, and that's why it's important that we clear each area out before we deploy them there. Even then, I suggest that they fly closer to the ground than usual." Robin said.

"Along with the mages and cavalry, they've got a strong armored soldier presence as well." said Flavia.

"Damn, things just keep getting better and better." Basilio said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "I suppose we can counter their armor with our own mages."

"Well let's take a break from focusing on their strengths for the moment. What of their weaknesses?" Chrom asked, shifting the discussion.

"We've got the edge in terms of numbers this time around." Flavia said.

"But it means nothing if they've already established defensive positions. They've turned the town gates into a blasted fortress." Basilio pointed out.

"How did they even know we were coming? I doubt they saw us light their fleet ablaze from here." Chrom asked with the side of his head leaning against his hand on the table.

"My guess is that some of their smaller vessels avoided the fire and made haste back." Flavia said.

"What's done is done, let's get back on topic here." Robin said. The three others nodded. "As far as weaknesses go, we have the advantage that they'll be expecting our forces to come from the sea. From the town, their attention will be aimed out towards the harbor."

"Sounds to me you've already cooked something up. " Flavia laughed.

"I've got one idea. But first, tell the other ships we're heading back out to sea."

"Back out?! Don't tell me you plan to retreat?! " Flavia joked, pretending to be shocked.

"Hah, no, we're definitely going on the offensive. But the idea won't work if they can see us. "

"Hmm, fine. Let's all take a short, and rather early break as we get the ships moving. Meet back here in 10 minutes." Chrom said as he got up from his seat.

* * *

><p>As Robin left the room to get some air, Lucina jogged up beside him.<p>

"So master tactician, what plan have you devised this time?"

Robin rolled his eyes, "You'll find out with the rest later. It's not much of a complete plan, but it's a start. I still need to think it over anyways." he said, continuing his walk.

"Leaving a friend out of the loop, huh?" Lucina said as she furrowed her brows, walking next to him.

'Friend'

Robin smirked at the opportunity to push her buttons a bit.

"Friend? I believe just yesterday, we were merely 'comrades'."

Lucina frowned, "You know what I meant. I apologize, I'm not really... good at all this."

"Good at what?" Robin questioned as he stopped walking.

Lucina thought as to whether or not she wanted to reveal anything personal to the man.

"Umm, making friends, that is." she said nervously after a bit.

Robin laughed. "You mean to tell me that the mighty 'Marth' can't make a few friends?"

Lucina lightly punched his arm. "Shut up, fool."

"Haha, I'm sorry, Lucina. It just sounded a bit strange to me. I mean, you get along well enough with everyone here."

"That's because I've grown up around all of them, they're practically family to me. But even then I feel as if I'm sometimes holding back."

"Surely you exaggerate. You must've had some friends."

"I have many, but it was because we had all been raised and fought together. And again, at times I felt like less of a friend and more of a leader."

"Well, what did your friends have to say about your... problem?"

"...I've been told that I could come off as a bit.. awkward when talking to others."

"I agree."

Lucina glared at him. "May I remind you that your _other_ cheek still remains untouched." she said, referring to when she had slapped him.

"Hey, hey, I was joking, Lucina." Robin said defensively. "Well, you've got me, right?"

"Yes, but at this rate, I wonder how long that might last." she huffed.

"Okay, I get it. No more poking at your social issues."

Lucina crossed her arms. "It's not like I can help it anyhow. Years of fighting and leading others into battle has made me this way. I've always thought that if I could at the least, inspire others to fight for the cause, that would be enough. First and foremost, I was their leader"

"Heh, sounds to me you need to learn to be a little less serious." Robin shrugged.

Lucina gave him a questioning look. "Why would I need to do that? I have no time to be lazing about when there's a nightmare of a future ahead of us."

"That's not exactly what I meant. It just seems to me that you're entire being is caught up in that of the war. But what happens after?"

"After?"

"Yes, when we stop Grima. You say the future has made you this way, and I don't blame you. But that's no excuse to let the war control who you are as a person. Yes, being made of steel will be of great aid during a fight, but remaining that way even after the battle is over is the last thing you'd want. Take a look at us. We're all great out in the field, but can you really describe someone like Vaike as professional? That man has absolutely no credentials as a teacher, I remind you."

Lucina giggled softly.

"So you can laugh. There might be hope for you yet." Robin smirked

Lucina blushed.

"You've been fighting to change the future so that people can lead happy lives. Don't you think you deserve a little of that? You need to learn to be a little less formal around people. Have fun with them." Robin continued.

Lucina thought about it.

"A happy life. Remember _who_ and what you fight for, right?" he said, referring to what she had told him.

"I suppose you're right. I shouldn't let my tragedies define me, I'm my own person."

"Remember that." Robin inwardly laughed. Not long ago, Chrom had told him similarly. Now here he was, saying the same to his friend's daughter.

"Thank you, Robin."

"Don't mention it. I mean, we are friends right?"

"Yes... we are" she smiled gently.

"Well, I suppose you want to hear about the plan then."

"That's right, if you don't mind that is."

"No, I suppose it's alright. Well first off, we have the the weather to thank. We've got some nice cloud cover going and I feel that we would be able to conceal our flier's movements with them."

"Our fliers? Did you not earlier suggest that we have them fly low to the ground?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. But this part of the plan doesn't involve them in active combat just yet. They're merely going to fly above the clouds to transport some of us to the other side of town."

"You plan to create a pincer attack?"

"More or less, but rather than an outright attack, I suggest we first utilize the element of surprise."

"You plan on taking out... key targets?" she asked thoughtfully.

"You catch on quickly. Of course, we do need to hit them hard from the rear, but if we can take out any of their commanders before they notice us, their order will collapse. After that's when we rush into battle."

"Similar to plan on the warship."

"Umm, yes." Robin tried not to let his mind dwell too much on any unpleasant thoughts. "But this time we don't have any way to sweep their forces in one shot. So even after their commander falls, the fighting will resume."

"I see" Lucina said. She thought for a second. "Who do you plan on taking with you? Err, I'm assuming you'll lead this operation. You do seem to enjoy working behind the scenes."

"Right again. I haven't thought it through yet, but along with a good amount of troops, we'll need adequate firepower. I was thinking maybe Virion, Lon'qu as well. Along with his sword, Virion's been giving him some pointers with the bow."

"They definitely suit the role. But if firepower is what you seek, might I suggest bringing my father along?"

"That would work, but if the enemy doesn't see our leader out on the field, they'll know something is up. I'm sure even Valm is aware of Chrom's knack for leading his forces into battle." Robin replied.

"...Would you hold any objections if I were to come along?" she suggested.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't you prefer to fight alongside Chrom and Sumia?"

"I would, but I feel that if I could be of aid in toppling their command, it would make the fight all the more manageable for them. I don't need to be on the frontlines all the time to be of help, you've proven that."

"Hmm, I guess I have no problems with it."

"I won't disappoint." she said reassuringly.

"But for the record, I do plan on doing some actual fighting this time around. You make it sound like I'm still hiding behind Chrom any everyone..."

"Did I? I assure you that I had not intended it that way. However, you should count yourself as lucky that I'm with you. Your swordplay still needs some work." She said with a smirk of her own.

Robin was caught off guard."What's this? So now you develop a sense of humor?"

"Think of it as the result of me being around someone so.. boorish." she said as she walked away with a smile.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Robin called to her in frustration.

This isn't exactly what he had in mind when he told her to be less formal.

* * *

><p>After a brief intermission, they assembled back in the room and resumed discussions.<p>

Robin had informed them of his idea.

"I see, and who would take part in this plan?" Chrom asked.

"Aside from myself and a number of Ylissean and Feroxi troops, I'll also need Virion, Lon'qu, Nowi and Gregor if they're willing."

The four nodded in acceptance from their seats.

Lucina cleared her throat, catching Robin's attention.

"Oh, and Lucina has volunteered for the excursion as well." he said.

Chrom raised an eyebrow at this daughter. "Did you, now? Hmm, I suppose she'll be of great help to your efforts."

"Indeed." Robin said.

"Well, that sounds like it might work, but what of our forces at the front?" Flavia asked.

"Unfortunately, that's still open for discussion at this point." Robin said.

The group remained silent, racking their brains for ideas.

Basilio finally spoke, " I think the first thing we need to take care of is gaining a proper foothold on the battlefield. They've dug trenches along the beach, so we should make our first move trying to overtake those positions. Those trenches would no doubt be occupied by mages trying to pick us off as we touch down on the shore, so we need a way to get rid of them."

"We can sail our ships straight onto the beach and try to cover as much distance as we can on them. We don't have to worry too much about their condition at this point since we'll be traveling the rest of Valm on foot."

"That's plausible. If we can get enough speed, we may be able to run over a few rows of those trenches." Flavia said as she thought over it.

"Precisely. From there, we hit them with our own mages and our archers onboard. As they exchange fire, we'll send some of our troops to charge into the trenches." said Chrom.

"I suggest that some of our mages make use of their wind magic. If they aim at the ground, they could start up a small sandstorm." Robin added.

"Good thinking, we can rush them as soon as they're blinded." Chrom agreed.

"Okay, now for our advancement into the town." Basilio said.

Flavia spoke, "I say we continue with that pattern. Their only source of long rage warfare is through magic, so we just need to keep taking out their mages before proceeding. But as we enter town, we're sure to come across their cavalry. That's when we deploy our armor, but we need our mages and archers close by them at all times."

"Okay, and as our forces storm the city, that's when the fliers will carry the remaining troops from the ship over. After they've landed, they assume the role of ordinary cavalry on the ground until we're sure their mages either don't possess any wind magic or are taken out ." Robin added. "As your forces clash with theirs at the front, our group will later close in on them from behind."

"Seems like a sound strategy." Flavia said. "See to it that you take care of their commander and as many mages as you can while you're still unnoticed." she finished as she looked to Robin.

Robin flipped through his stack of papers once more. "That's the plan. Okay, it says on the roster that the one commanding their forces here should be someone by the name of... Farber. It seems like he's a Dark Knight himself."

"Make sure you take him out in one shot then. He's surely on horseback and it won't take much effort for him to slip away if you miss." Chrom stated.

"We'll do our best not to give him the chance." Robin said. He got up and turned to the rest in the room. "Alright, now that we've settled on a course of action, does anyone else have anything to say before we begin?"

A Feroxi commander raised a hand. "Sir, what is the status of the people in town? "

Robin ran a hand through his, hair pulling at some strands in frustration. How could he forget? Although it was heavily occupied by Valmese troops, the town was home to thousands of civilians. "That's right. Thank you for bringing that up. With the Valmese aware of our upcoming attack, the civilians must have caught wind of it as well. I doubt they've had sufficient time to evacuate, so they're probably all holed up in their homes. I want to make it clear that we cause as little damage to the town as possible. "

"Remember, we're not brigands. We're suppose to be liberators." Chrom added in support.

Robin continued, " Exactly, it's for that reason I prohibit the use of any fire magic after we've moved on from the beach. We don't want to go around burning down any homes."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Chrom stood up to take the lead,"Anything else we might've missed?" When no answered, "Good, everyone make sure they're properly equipped. We'll begin in a half hour."

As everyone flooded out the room, Chrom went up to Robin. " Robin, be careful out there. You're headed into the middle of enemy territory with little more than a hundred men."

"I'll be sure that we act with the utmost precision. Likewise, I ask that you don't get too reckless as well. It's you guys that will take on the brunt of their forces."

Chrom nodded as he patted Robin's back. "It's a deal then. And, Robin? Make sure Lucina stays safe out there."

"While I think she's the last person among us that you need to be worried about, you have my word."

Chrom smiled, "Thanks, friend. I know I can trust her with you."

"But rather than her, you make sure that you don't go getting kicked in the head again, O'powerful Exalt" Robin smirked.

"Ugh, don't even remind me. You won't believe how long Sumia went on about that last night." Chrom groaned, hoping to forget the memory.

"That's what marriage does to you."

"Laugh now, but when the day comes that you find someone for yourself, you'll know exactly what I'm going through."

"Yeah, yeah. But until then, ignorance is bliss."

* * *

><p>The Shepherds were gathered around on deck, arming themselves and making sure their armor was secured properly.<p>

The troops were getting ready to raise the sails and pull up the anchor as soon as Robin's team took off.

"Our first 'true' battle against the Valmese." Frederick said offhandedly to Cherche and Kellam. " Thank Naga that we have more men on our side this time. If the rumors about the size of Walharts forces are true, we may not have such odds again. Blasted Valmese"

Cherche turned her head to the side to speak, as she secured Minerva's padding, "We just need to go about this cautiously. I trust your tactician. Your leader, Chrom, and the Khans seem capable enough as well. And I'll have you know, not everyone in Valm is exactly happy with its current state."

"...Robin will pull through. He always does." said Kellam, as he put on his bulky armor plating.

Frederick stopped for a second, " Wait.. why didn't you go with them Kellam?"

Sumia was affixing Chrom's shoulder pad. After she finished, Chrom gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thanks. Stay close to me and the others, we don't want another incident like last time happening again." he said firmly.

Sumia smiled sheepishly, "Don't worry, I'll be more careful this time."

Chrom sighed, "Sometimes it feels as if all I _can_ do is worry for you two. "

Sumia wrapped her arms around him, "She'll be fine, Lucina's a strong girl. Besides, Robin's with her. " she said nuzzling into his chest, smiling silently to herself.

* * *

><p>Robin had just finished assembling those who'd be joining him.<p>

"Alright, our pegasi and wyvern riders, you'll be carrying the rest of us up into high altitudes. As soon as we're above the clouds, we need to get over to the other side of Valm Harbor and land into the forestry. I'll give further orders once we've all regrouped. Let's get moving!" Robin said, scrambling the troops.

Everyone got into positions, soldiers finding an open seat among the wyverns and pegasi. Since they wouldn't be in active combat yet, each flier was able to accommodate 2 other soldiers apart from their rider.

Lon'qu and Gregor got onto two pegasi.

"Ah! Wait, this is not how I'd like to spend the rest of the trip!" Virion cried as Nowi in her dragon form grabbed him by the shoulders and hovered above the deck.

Robin chuckled at the usually composed man dangling helplessly. He looked back down to see the princess struggling to claim a spot of her own.

"Lucina! Hurry and get over here." Robin called to her.

She hurriedly got onto the seat behind him "How kind of you." she said with a hint of sarcasm

"I've got orders to babysit."

"Hmph, I should've thought as much."

"Don't worry, I told him you're more than capable. Now hold on."

She wrapped her arms around his waist as the wyvern slowly began its ascent.

It slowly gained speed as it made its way into the clouds, the other fliers close behind. They rose up through the clouds and into the sky above, their clothes slightly damp from the moistness.

As they made began making their way forward towards their destination, Lucina looked around her in wonder.

She was surrounded by an endless sky. It glowed with a vibrant blue that was absent from the drab world she had left. Beneath her a sea of clouds.

Her breath was taken away. This was why she fought. For a world like this. She fought so that people would never cease to be able see such unrivaled beauty.

She closed her eyes in content, breathing in the crisp air, her grip on Robin slowly loosening.

Her eyes snapped open when a pair of arms grabbed her. It was Robin. She apparently was leaning a little too far back. "Enjoying the view? Don't get too lost in it just yet, thing's are about to get ugly real soon." he reminded her. He felt guilty breaking her from her trance, but he knew they needed to keep their wits about them for the battle.

"I apologize." she said slightly ashamed.

"Don't be, seems like you needed it." he smiled before reverting his attention ahead of them.

Lucina smiled to herself, gratefully.

"I believe we're just above the town." the rider called back to them.

"Begin descent into the forest." Robin ordered.

Lucina once again wrapped her arms around his waist as they flew down below.

Their ranks when unnoticed by the Valmese, one by one, landing into the tree cover.

After they all dismounted, the group huddled together.

Robin walked to the center of the crowd, "Okay, we managed to get here without alerting them to our presence. Listen up, these are our objectives.."

* * *

><p>"Sir, we're headed straight for shore. We've caught some nice wind, it should take us about 50 yards onto the beach." reported the Ylissean sailor.<p>

"Very good. Brace yourselves, we're coming in fast!" Chrom shouted to the crew.

The fleet sailed towards the beach, slowly gaining speed.

Just like Basilio had predicted, the mages popped out from the trenches and began hammering them with various spells. Elthunders blew holes into their hull and struck all the way up through the deck. Several men, dropped to the ground. Elwinds struck the ships, slowing down their advancement.

Nearly a dozen of their ships were blown apart from the lightning.

Chrom got down on a knee, holding onto the railing. "Keep your heads down! Wait 'til their barrage is over, then I want out archers to send them back into cover! Mages, sorcerers and sages, stand by! I want the rest of you to get ready to storm the beaches at our command!" Chrom yelled over the blasts hitting their ship.

"Yes sir!"

The archers readied their bows. The mages pulled out their tomes. The troops got the ramp in place.

Chrom peeked over the railing, "Alright we're landing in, 3, 2, 1!"

***GYYSHHHGHHHHHHH***

Their ships scraped onto the sand, skidding right over 2 rows of trenches. They could hear the enemy troops scream as some were crushed beneath the warships.

The enemy's assault came to halt.

"Archers! Fire!" Chrom boomed.

The archers onboard got into lines, alternating fire every third person, allowing for a consistent stream of arrows.

The other ships followed their lead.

The Valmese quickly took cover, avoiding a majority of the arrows by the time the deadly rain had let up.

"Troops, get onto the shore and wait for our orders. Mages get your Arcfire and Elfire tomes ready! And.." As soon as Chrom spotted the enemy getting ready to retaliate, "Fire!"

The allied mages launched thousands of blasts of flame at the enemy, hundreds burnt alive. The surviving Valmese shot back with fire magic of their own, attempting to burn the ships down before they could exit.

However, Ricken, Tharja, Henry, and Mirel took the initiative and shot their Arcwinds prematurely. The rest of the Ylissean and Feroxi mages mimicked their attack.

"What are you guys doing!?" Chrom yelled, furious at the insubordination in such a critical moment.

The Shepherd mages merely flashed him a few grins.

His anger had quickly subsided as he saw the reason for them refusing to wait. Their Arcwinds had repelled the wave of fire that the enemy had set upon them, all the while blasting into the ground and kicking up a cloud of sand.

Chrom got up and patted Ricken on the back, " I take that back. Two birds with one stone, that was some fine work!" he praised.

"Leave the use of magic to us.. we're the experts.." Tharja said haughtily.

Chrom was unbothered. "Very well, you four are in charge of directing our magic division once we've secured the trenches."

Chrom looked down at the beach, the sand cloud still lingering. "Mages, keep firing at them until our men are down there. Frederick, Stahl, Sully! Lead them in now!"

"Right!" they yelled in unison.

The three quickly rallied the troops and led them off the ramps and onto the beach. The other ships followed, as the Ylissean Continental forces stormed the beaches.

The Valmese's vision was completely obscured from within the cloud. All they could make out was their fellow soldiers beside them and flames rhythmically striking the trenches.

They remained hunched down in cover until the barrage of flame had let up. As they got up, they could hear the sounds of thousands of hooves clogging across the sand.

A few Valmese mages got hold of their Elwind tomes and fired, clearing out patches of the cloud of sand. Much to their horror, as soon as it dispersed they were met with lances to their chests as the Shepherds led the charge into the trenches.

"Take them down!" Frederick ordered, the others right behind.

Frederick's and their horses had been slowed down thanks to the sand, but it meant little due to the distance their ships had already covered.

The Shepherds and troops dove into the trenches, cutting down the mages.

An Ylissean soldier slashed down another Valmese Sage, but through the cloud, he saw a large lumbering figure making its way towards him. "Armor! They've got armored units in the trenches as well!" was the soldier's last words before he was ran through by the enemy Knight. The Knight pulled his bloody lance out from the body, and took out another Ylissean soldier before he had been spotted by Cherche.

Cherche quickly glided over the sand on Minerva towards the Knight. Minerva tackled down the armored brute as Cherche leapt off and slammed her axe down on his head.

"Poor you." she said, pulling her axe out. She mounted Minerva once more then glided along the length of the trench, looking out for any surviving enemies.

After nearly 10 minutes, all trenches were cleared and occupied by the allied forces. Cordelia and Sumia flew onto the beach with the other fliers and pounced on any Valmese trying to escape back into town.

The cloud had long settled and Chrom did a quick survey of the area. His forces had taken the trenches, the only Valmese left were holding down the town. At least a hundred of their ships were set ablaze from the initial attack. It seems like some mages aboard those ships were unable to counter the Valmese's fire fast enough, leaving entire platoons lost to the inferno.

The air reeked of burnt flesh. Chrom squeezed his hand into a tight fist.

Flavia and Basilio ran up behind him.

"It was rougher than I expected... but we were able to secure this location." Flavia panted.

"Let's take a moment to regroup before advancing." Basilio said, as he smeared the blood from his axe on the sand.

Chrom nodded, " I'll leave our forces to you two and our commanders, the Shepherds are with me."

"Fine with us. I wonder if our tactician has already made it behind them." Flavia said.

* * *

><p>"Listen up, these are our objectives," Robin began. "We take out any mages and if possible, their commander, Farber, without them knowing we're here. We need to remain unseen for the time being, so along with our Shepherds, I'm only going to take a few of our archers and swordsmen with us into town. The rest of you stay on alert. If by any chance the Valmese have discovered you, you're free to engage. If nothing's happened before then, I'll send someone over to give the order to march into town. Try to make your way towards the beach, that's where the rest of our forces are. If we pull it off, the Valmese should be right between our two fronts, leaderless. Did I make everything clear?"<p>

The platoon cheered in confirmation.

"Good. Lon'qu, Nowi, Gregor, Virion, Lucina, you're with me."

"Right." they said, as the group of 20 marched into enemy territory.

* * *

><p>The backside of town was deserted. The Valmese had invested most of their forces to the front to repel the invaders.<p>

Robin and the rest quietly made their way through the alleyways, sticking to the walls.

"Robin, we've yet to spot any Valmese." Virion whispered, his bow at the ready.

"We need to get to higher ground. We can survey their forces from there." Lon'qu breathed as they silently jogged.

"Good thinking." Robin went ahead and stopped at the end of the alley, peeking his head around the corner.

The entire street was devoid of any people. The doors on the shop and homes were closed shut. He could faintly hear the clashing of steel towards the front of the town.

"Alright, we're clear. Make a straight line for th-" Robin didn't have to time to finish as he suddenly spotted someone running up the street, two Valmese soldiers on horseback in pursuit.

"Don't let that witch get away!" The Valmese soldier shouted.

A raven haired woman, clad in a furred armor vest and purplish robe struggled to get away from her pursuers. Her sprint slowed down as she limped her way towards an alley on the other side of the street.

The Valmese cavalrymen charged at her. " Damn fool. This is the fate of all who defy our emperor!" he shouted, as he brought his lance back to skewer her.

"Lon'qu! Virion!" Robin shouted

"Got it."

The two rolled out of the alley, onto the streets and drew their bows.

They each fired two successive shots, hitting both horses and riders at fatal points.

"Gyagh!" They cried as their bodies hit the stone floor.

The raven haired woman snapped around, putting her back to the wall as she pulled out her blade.

Gregor walked over to the Valmese soldiers and made sure they were dead. Lon'qu and Virion went to retrieve their arrows.

The woman's brows were furrowed, staring intensely at them for a few seconds as she panted.

They cautiously walked up to her, stopping a few yards back.

The woman, pointed the tip of her blade at them.

Lucina unsheathed her Falchion when Robin stopped her.

Robin turned to the woman, putting his hands up in front of him. "Woah, calm down. We're not the enemy." he said gently.

Her eyes widened as she lowered her blade. "Are.. are you... the Ylisseans?" she said in between breaths. Her distinct accent was unfamiliar to the group.

"That's correct. We're here to reclaim this town from the Valmese." Lucina confirmed, sliding her Falchion back into her scabbard.

The woman dropped her blade, then bent over to catch her breath. She apparently had been on the run for some time. "Thank the gods. I feared you wouldn't arrive in time."

Robin look puzzled. "Wait, you knew we were coming?"

The raven haired woman nodded. "Yes. I was sent here with a few others to spy on the Imperial dogs. We were captured. My comrades.. they were.. executed." she grimaced.

Robin gave a look of sympathy, before speaking up. "Who's _we_?" he asked.

The woman looked up at them. "We are the resistance movement against the conqueror, Walhart. You may call me Say'ri."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Let me begin by saying, Wow! This story has reached over 3.3K views in the week and a half since it started. I'm overjoyed with the amount of readers!**

**Get ready for a long A/N...**

**This chapter, the attack on Valm Harbor has begun. Robin and his group finally run into Say'ri. I based the structure of the enemy forces off what they were ingame during Chapter 15. **

**Let me make clear that sometimes when I say Ylisseans, I mean the combined forces of the Shepherds, Khans and soldiers from Ylisse and Ferox, since they're all from the 'Continent' of Ylisse. (**Another thing. I just been notified that I've been spelling Ylisse incorrectly. How did I let that happen?**) Kind of confusing, I know. If I mention 'allied' anything, they're the 'good guys'. I've also found it to be quite the chore adding enough detail while going back and forth between generic troops, so I'll follow a pattern in which I mention them, then shift focus to the Shepherds like I did towards the end of the invasion segment.**

**Another existing issue was the use of the word 'mage'. Now, Mage is the name of an actual class in the game, but also a general term for someone using magic. I tried my best to make it clear what I was saying, so I hope you weren't confused by any of it.**

**And yes, I'm aware I missed a nice chance for some mushy moments when the the two were up in the clouds together, but you can't really expect for Lucina to fall for him from just that, right? :P Robin's teaching Lucina how to take a load off, but unfortunately, she seems to be putting that load on him..**

**College started up again, so I can't really send these chapters out as fast as I could last week (Which was pretty fast). But have no fear, you can still expect frequent updates. Just not every other day like before. :P**

**I want to take a moment to thank all of those who've reviewed the story up to this point. I'm extremely happy with the feedback, and you've also brought up some really good points regarding the story's problems so far. ****I thank all of the readers and to my surprise, the story's even been included in some kind of 'Robin/Lucina' community! Cheers!**

**Shout out to Ventrust Westwind for helping me edit! I'll be revising earlier chapters from now on as well.**

**Look forward to seeing Robin and Lucina fighting side by side in the next chapter!**

**Til next time!**


	8. Smoldering Resistance 2

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Smoldering Resistance 2**

"We are the resistance movement against the conqueror, Walhart. You may call me Say'ri." The raven haired woman said.

"There's an organized resistance movement?" Robin asked in surprise.

"Aye, of sorts. Several groups formed to seek liberty for the states of Valm." Say'ri explained.

"But I've heard that Walhart had stamped out all deserters." Robin said.

"He tried, and many of us perished. But we are a slippery bunch. As long as a single soul in this country opposes his rule, the Resistance can never be truly 'stamped out'. We strike hard and vanish into the night. Even now rebels ride to the banner of dynasts across the continent." Say'ri said proudly.

"Then that's very good news for us. If we're going to take Walhart down, we'll need all the help we can get. You also said you were sent here to spy on the... Imperials?" asked Robin.

"Yes, Imperials are what we call those who serve under the conqueror. As for your question, I was chosen to lead a group to rendezvous with another branch of the Resistance in this town. They had sent us word that they were able to infiltrate the Imperial troops stationed here, and we came to pry as much information as we could from under their noses. But before we could even meet up with the others, we were captured. I've already... told you what comes next." Say'ri said sullenly.

"I apologize. They were brave men to have taken up such a task." Lucina said sympathetically. She knew very well the anguish of losing comrades.

Say'ri nodded. "They were. I was held captive for 3 days. Those scum said that they could... make use of me. It was from my cell that I heard them speaking of an incoming invasion by Ylissean forces. While the soldiers made haste to prepare for the attack, someone had come to my cell. It was an Imperial soldier. He unlocked my door and told me to flee. As I ran from the building, I could hear the others tackle him down..."

"That soldier.. he was Resistance." Robin deduced.

"Aye, and he gave his life to ensure mine.." Say'ri said quietly.

"But that means there is a Resistance group somewhere in the city." Robin said hopefully.

"That's right. I was just on my way to them when I stumbled upon you all."

"Can you take us? To meet with them? They must know the layout of the town better than we, and we need their help if we want to find Farber."

"You seek to take out Farber? I must warn you, I've heard stories of Farber's skill with magic. He won't be easy to beat."

"I know, and that's why we need to get the jump on him. If we take him out swiftly, our forces will handle the rest."

Say'ri thought it over. "..Very well, I shall take you to meet with them."

"You have our gratitudes" Robin bowed.

Say'ri picked up her blade from the ground and sheathed it. She cautiously took a few steps out into the streets and scanned the area before heading back into the alleyway. She motioned for the group to follow.

* * *

><p>The group made their through the town. They've yet to run into any Valmese soldiers.<p>

Virion walked up next to Say'ri, "My, my. I must say, I am most enamored by your exotic beauty. Tell me, from where does such a fine lady heil?" he said, attempting to woo her with a charming smile.

Lon'qu shook his head.

Nowi giggled and mentioned something about him being a 'lame fart'. Some of the archers and swordsmen let out a chuckle.

Say'ri shot him a side glance as she walked, "I come from a land in Valm called Chon'sin." Say'ri sped up her pace.

Virion quickly followed, "What a most extravagant place this Chon'sin must be, to have bred such fierce yet alluring women such as yourself."

Say'ri didn't even bother to turn her head as she responded," Aye, we women of Chon'sin take pride in our strength. The strength to crush even the most _persistent_ of scoundrels."

Virion slowed down, having clearly got the message.

Gregor made no effort to even stifle his laughter, the rest of the troops joining in.

As he passed him by, Robin gave Virion a soft smack on the backside of the head. "Stay focused, lover boy." he said with a smirk as he caught up with Say'ri. "How much farther is it?"

"Not far. We were told that they've established a base of operations at a nearby tavern."

Gregor scratched his head, "Secret base in tavern? That is very, how you say... Clique? Cliche'? Closure? ..."

"Yes, but the tavern is frequented by the Imperial troops. This is what I meant by 'right under their noses'." Say'ri explained.

Gregor nodded, satisfied.

Robin fell back and whispered to Lucina, "Was it the right call? Trusting her?"

"It's fine. In my future, I heard that someone by the name of Say'ri was a valuable ally during the War of Valm. I believe she was Chon'sin's princess." she whispered back.

"Princess!?" Robin whispered a little too loud.

Say'ri heard the outburst. "I see you've heard of me. It surprises me to say the least. We are a small nation, but a proud one."

"I've done a bit of traveling the last couple of years, so I've come across a wealth of informational tidbits. I hadn't heard anything about you being in some kind of Resistance though." Lucina covered.

"Yes well, I was among the two successors of our nation, along with my brother... Yen'fay." she mentioned his name disdainfully. "But that backstabbing dog forsook our land and now grovels at the feet of that conqueror. He serves the very man our people risk their lives to dethrone."

"Your brother?" Robin asked in shock.

"Pay not any attention to it. If I even so as catch a glimpse of him.. I'd cut him down myself. He's family no more." she said bitterly.

Robin and Lucina decided it best not to continue the conversation.

The grouped turned the corner and Say'ri held out a hand, "Halt. Someone's there."

Lucina and Robin peek around the wall.

There were 5 men standing around a few dead Valmese soldiers. They seemed to be inspecting the bodies.

The group moved cautiously and approached the 5 men.

"You there!" Say'ri called.

The men immediately stopped fiddling with the corpses. A blonde man in a blood stained shirt, holding the helm of one of the dead Valmese walked to them.

"Are you, the one they sent?" the blonde man asked in a hopeful manner.

Robin whispered to Say'ri, "Resistance?"

She nodded, but quickly turned to the man, "Who are _they_?" she asked, referring to his question.

The blonde man sighed, then tossed the helm towards the bodies. "Look, I've little time to spare with idle chit chat. As you can see, those dogs are already on to us. We need to get back to command. If we can rally our men, we can catch those Imperials off guard while the Ylisseans do battle with them."

Say'ri was satisfied with his response. "How did they find out?"

The man looked towards the bodies. "I don't know, but they did. We're checking their belongings for any hint as to how."

Say'ri looked to the man's bloodied shirt. "Fie, must have been some fight. Are you and your men fine?"

The man looked down at his shirt and laughed, "Worry not, this is their blood. And as you can see, we were quite lucky their party came with equal numbers to ours. They didn't stand a chance man to man."

A man wearing a large feathered hat came up to the two. "Sir, there's nothing on them. All that's certain is, they know we're here."

"Damn them. We need to warn the others." the blonde man said, looking to Say'ri.

"Let us make haste." she said.

"Lead the way."

* * *

><p>"Shepherds! Gather up!" Chrom ordered.<p>

They grouped up before the prince.

"We're acting as our own unit. I've left the rest of the forces to the Khans and our commanders. We're about to begin our second phase of the assault. Stick together, and keep an eye out for those Dark Knights. They're notorious for possessing high level magic tomes. Fliers, as per Robin's suggestion, remain grounded like the rest of our cavalry." He said.

"..Where's Henry and the rest?" Olivia asked.

Cordelia and Sully shot her a look.

"Our own mages are leading the others. They'll handle the Valmese's magic division, we just need to keep the heat off of them."

"Any word on Robin's team?" asked Frederick.

"Nothing yet, but we've got to give them time. They're scouring a quarter of the town for one man." Chrom pointed out.

"Oye Shepherds! We're moving! Our Wyverns are going to lead us in and tear down those barricades!" Basilio yelled from across the sands.

Chrom turned to his men "Alright, we can do this. Don't hold back, they won't."

They followed the Khans through the beach, dodging a hail of magic spells.

Hundreds of Ylissean soldiers fell on their way off the beaches, and still the group pushed on. If they could just make it into town, the cover of buildings would block off the clear shot the enemy now had on them.

"YOOUGHHHH" roared the Wyverns, as they glided across the sand and careened into the wooden blockades at the town's entrance. They burst through viciously, sending any poor soul behind the wooden wall flying.

Once inside the town walls, the wyverns were met with a shower of magic. Their riders tugged back, commanding the beasts to retreat backwards into safety.

The Ylissean mages rushed in and exchanged fire with the Valmese. Blasts flew to and fro. What the Valmese mages lacked in numbers, they made up for in sheer strength, most of them boasting high power spells such as Arcthunders. As the mages were occupied, the rest of the Ylissean forces charged in.

The Shepherds stayed close, guarding one another's blind spot.

Kellam rammed into a Dark Knight's horse charging for Gaius, knocking him over. Panne pounced the fallen enemy, rending him to shreds.

A javelin was thrown from the crowd of Valmese and scraped along Vaike's ribs.

"Agh, damn it!" he yelled, as he threw a hatchet towards the crowd.

Lissa ran up to his side with a Mend staff. "This is what you get for showing up to battle naked, you idiot." she quipped, tending to his injury.

A Valmese Knight went for Donnel. Donnel was quick to block the thrusts from the lance and jumped back to create some space. Before he could lunge at the Knight, Stahl had come from the side and slammed his lance into the Valmese's throat.

"Dang it, Stahl! I had that one!" Donnel whined.

Stahl smiled sheepishly. "Donny, behind you!" he yelled.

Donnel whipped around and came face to face with a Valmese Cavalier. The Cavalier charged at him

Donnel jumped over the horse's head and to side of the Cavalier's lance. Donnel tackled the Valmese off his horse as it zipped by.

As they hit the ground, he swung his sword down hard on the enemy.

The ground rumbled.

From up the street was a line of Valmese cavalry man, looking to run down the Ylisseans.

"Everyone watch out! We've got more of them coming in fast!" Chom shouted.

The battle raged on in the streets of the portside town.

* * *

><p>Robin and the others finally reached the tavern along with the five Resistance members. Like many of the other surrounding stores and homes, the doors and windows were closed shut.<p>

The troops and resistance members waited out on the street while the Shepherds and Say'ri walked up to the tavern's doorstep.

Say'ri banged on the doors, "Open these doors! It is I, Say'ri from the western branch!" she yelled.

No answer.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Robin asked.

Say'ri rubbed her temple, "Aye. This has to be it. The building with the crest of a lion."

Lucina took it upon herself to bang on the doors as well. "Hello!? Also with her are us Ylisseans! We require assistance in defeating the Valmese!" she hollered.

She banged on the door for moments more until they heard someone inside.

The curtains in one of the windows rustled, revealing a tanned man peeking out onto the patio.

The sound of locks coming undone could be heard followed by the doors cracking open.

The man stuck his head out and looked Say'ri up and down. "You are indeed Say'ri of Chon'sin." he confirmed, opening the doors.

"That's correct. My group and I were captured before we could make contact with you. I managed to get away and ran into these people from Ylisse. They wish to aid us in defeating the Imperials." she said.

Nowi ran up to the tanned man. "Alrighty, now that we're all introduced, you gonna let us in?" she asked, despite walking into the tavern without waiting for a response.

"Nowi! What are you doing? Ughh." Robin groaned, embarrassed at his fellow Shepherd's rudeness.

The man looked to Robin," I don't mind. A child shouldn't be outside amidst such chaos to begin with. More importantly, how goes the battle?" he asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call her a child.." he muttered as he walked up to the man. "By now, our forces should have taken the beach. They've probably already charged into town."

"I see. Then we best take advantage of the situation."

"That's what we're here for. We were hoping you could help us locate their commander. "

The tanned man looked at Robin in surprise. "So you wish to cut the head off the snake, do you? Ha Ha, how bold of you. I like that. We'll see if we can outfit you and your friends in some Imperial armor. After we locate Farber, you can slip past the enemy and take him out without them even knowing you're there."

Say'ri spoke up, "Then we must act fast, the Imperials are already aware of the Resistance's presence in town. Their suspicions have surely been roused."

The man looked at her in bewilderment. "W-what? But how? Where did you hear out about this?"

"We had come across a few of your men on the way here. They told us they'd been found out and the Imperials had dispatched some soldiers for their heads. Worry not, they were all unharmed." she stated with a reassuring smile.

The man's face was still painted with confusion. "Our men? But I hadn't sent anyone out today for business... They're all downstairs, accounted for."

Say'ri was startled, "W-what do you mean? You mean to tell me that _they_ aren't with you?" She said as she frantically pointed to the 5 men on the street.

They all turned to see the 5 men standing over the now lifeless bodies of the archers and swordsmen.

"W-what is this?!" Robin yelled in terror.

The blonde man turned around and offered them a rather calm look.

The tanned man stepped back, visibly shaken. "F-Farber!?"

In an instant, the blonde man who was now identified to be Farber, pulled out a tome from within his shirt. He fired off a devastating Bolganone straight for the tavern.

"GET DOWN!" Lucina yelled, diving out of the way.

Everyone dropped to the ground.

The flame ruptured across the ground, ripping through the doorway and scorching the wood as it passed. It ate through to the back of the large room and exploded in a wave of heat.

The blast shook the tavern to its foundation, blowing everyone out into the streets. Debris were violently ejected from the building, a cloud of dust pouring out onto the street.

Robin slowly got up, head throbbing. His blurred vision slowly began to clear. In front of him, he could make out the tanned man, face down on the floor in a puddle of blood. A large wooden plank embedded into his back. In the background, the tavern was engulfed in flames, slowly collapsing on itself. 'Nowi...' he grimaced, balling his fist tightly.

Farber strolled up to Say'ri who was still on the ground.

He grabbed her by the hair and raised her head to meet his gaze. "Didn't we tell you that you could be of use?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

Say'ri spit in his face.

Farber merely let go of her, wiping the spit off.

Say'ri's petrifying stare did little to bother him.

The man in the feathered hat walked up to him. "Sir, was that all of them?"

Farber nodded, "Yes, you heard the man. They were all downstairs, accounted for." he said simply.

Say'ri shifted her attention to the man in the feathered hat. She finally got a good look at him from under the brim of his hat. Her eyes widened. "..You!" she gasped weakly.

The man smiled.

It was the same man that had let her out of her cell.

Her hands trembled, collapsing back onto the ground.

They had planned it all. They let her go knowing that she'd lead them back to the others. She'd gotten even more of her comrades killed...

Say'ri was in too much of a state of shock to move a muscle, as she laid hopelessly on the floor.

After some struggling, Lon'qu managed to flip over and draw his bow while still prone on the ground. He set his sights for Farber, but he was swiftly kicked in the side by one of Farber's men.

Farber looked to the Shepherds lying on the ground, meters before him. "I had figured that the Resistance would make their move as soon as word of the Ylisseans had spread. But to my surprise, you've already managed to slip past our ranks. Well done. Well done for handing yourselves right to us."

Robin sat up , "Y-you knew?"

"Of the Resistance? Yes. That Chon'sin women's friends found our interrogation rather... persuading. Then we got rid of them. They did do a good job though, those traitorous swines of a Resistance. Even having the gall to operate from within my men's favored drink hall."

"You.. you tortured them?" Robin asked as Farber's words sank in.

"Don't play the fool. If you've managed to destroy our fleet, then I'm under the impression that you people are very well familiar with the cruelties of war. We do this not out of hate, but only to ensure that our Empire remains untarnished. Does your army not do the same? "

"We don't torture people!" Robin yelled in anger.

"That's beyond the point. You slaughtered tens of thousands of our men in one fell swoop, yet you have the nerve to speak as if your hands are clean? Surely you jest." Farber spat.

Robin felt pain surge through his body. Not bodily pain, but of tremendous guilt. This man had burrowed straight into an emotional wound that he had sought to cover up.

He killed all those men at sea.. Friends.. Lovers... Sons... Fathers...

...And now, nearly 14 of his own lay dead here..

Before his thoughts completely ensnared him into a downwards spiral, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Robin, don't listen to him. They invaded _us._ You did that to save those _you_ cared for.. You're not that kind of monster... We need you to pull yourself together." said Lucina in front of him, supporting herself up with her Falchion.

Hearing her voice had calmed him down. Robin shut his eyes and breathed slow, deep breaths.

He reopened his eyes and clenched his fists.

Having re-assessed himself, he quickly reached for his tome. "Lucina! Jump at him!"

She snapped her head back to see him preparing a spell. She didn't know what he was planning, but took his word.

She mustered her strength and leapt forward at Farber.

She heard his tome crackle from behind, then felt a gust of wind propel her towards the Dark Knight.

She closed the gap between them in a second, aiming the tip of her blade at his core.

Farber spun out the way, but the Falchion ate through the edge of his shoulder.

"AGHH!" he cried in agony, as he clutched at the wound.

Lucina recovered from her jump then quickly dashed back towards Farber, attempting to finish him off.

Farber instantaneously shot out an Arcthunder towards the princess.

Gregor managed to tackle Lucina out of its path, the blast flying off towards a nearby store. More debris showered from the sky.

Two of Farber's men charged at Gregor and Lucina. Lon'qu quickly sliced one down, the other jumped back. The soldier swung his sword down, but Lon'qu effortlessly parried the chop. The man was left imbalanced as Lon'qu thrust his blade deep into his chest.

Virion shot the remaining man before he could even draw his sword.

Lon'qu stared down at the corpses of the Ylissean archers and swordsmen. He turned to glare at Farber murderously.

***CRAAAAGHHHSSSHHH***

A large mass slowly rose up from the incinerated tavern.

"A dragon?!" Farber yelled in shock.

"Yeah, you _like_ dragons?" The beast spoke with irritance.

"Nowi!" Robin yelled in relief.

Farber backed up. He was surrounded.

The Shepherds had all gotten up, weapons trained on the Valmese Commander.

"Tchh, I've got what I've come for. The Resistance is no more." Farber said.

***VWOOSH***

Farber had vanished in a flash of light.

"Wh-what is this?" Lon'qu asked in frustration.

Robin looked around at Farber's dead men, finding one in particular to be missing. "It was that man wearing the hat."

Lon'qu looked to him in confusion.

"He was a kind of rogue known as a Trickster. Kind of like Anna. What sets them apart is their extensive use of staves." Robin explained, dusting himself off.

"A Rescue staff." Lucina concluded.

"Right, but its range is limited. That means they're still nearby." Robin pointed out.

"We need to go after him before he can resume control of the Valmese." Lon'qu said.

"I'm gonna crush him!" Nowi roared.

"Alright, let's hurry. Virion, I need you to go back to our men in the forest. Tell them to march into town. We've taken much too long and Chrom and the others need all the help they can get."

"Right away" Virion said as he ran off.

Robin turned to Say'ri. "Hey, you need to get up! If we don't stop them, your comrades would've died for nothing! You can't let their lives go to waste.." he said, trying to talk some sense into her.

Say'ri sighed deeply, "Fie, such a mess I've made..." She slowly got back up," But, I don't intend to hold you back any longer. I am with you." she said with fierce determination, as she grabbed for her blade and followed after Lon'qu and the others who had already taken off.

"Hmph, you managed to whip her into shape quite fast." Lucina remarked.

Robin smiled, " Think of it as the result of me being around someone so, charming." he said rather unsarcastically.

Lucina couldn't help but blush. "It seems Virion has rubbed off on you."

"But really, thanks back there. You always seem to know how to pull me back up after I've fallen." Robin thanked her warmly.

"..Yes, you're welcome. But now's not the time for pleasantries. We need to catch up with them."

Robin nodded, as the two ran off in pursuit.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know I said they'll be fighting side by side, but I decided to put this chapter out by itself as I work on the rest.**

**I tried to elaborate on Say'ri's business in town rather than just her being cornered by two Knights like in the game.**

**As for Farber and his men, they pulled a reverse on what the Resistance in Valm Harbor often did. They killed off some men and swapped their armor. Just who those dead men were... I'll leave to your imaginations..**

**Who else is excited for the new Fire Emblem game?! I am!**

**Next chapter will be out soon.**

**Til next time!**


	9. Smoldering Resistance 3

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO. THEY ARE QUITE AMAZING. LET'S ALL PRAISE THEM FOR A BIT AND HOPE FOR AN EARLY LOCALIZATION FOR THEIR LATEST SEQUEL.**

**A/N: Upon observation in the game and further research, I found that I had misdescribed the 'Bolganone' in the last chapter. Rather than a blast of flame, it actually erupts from the ground and outwards. I edited that in the last chapter and I made sure to properly describe it here.**

**Smoldering Resistance 3**

The Shepherd's mages were leading the Ylissean magic division against the Valmese's. It was long ranged warfare, although they did have the trouble of frequently dealing with the many Valmese soldiers attempting to rush at them.

At the far side of town, Miriel, Henry and Ricken had their backs up against a wall. Right beside them, across the street, were the stairs leading up to the walkways atop the city walls. The stairs were guarded by several Knights.

The Valmese mages had taken positions atop the walls and for good reason. They weren't easily reachable by the forces on the ground and their clear view of the battlefield, save for some buildings, allowed them to pick off targets from a distance. Right now, they were dealing with the Ylissean archers and mages, the only ones among the enemy able to retaliate from their attacks.

Miriel wiped her forehead. "These Valmese believe themselves to be quite the masters, flaunting around their Arc magic like so. Powerful as the spells might be, their casters sorely lack the necessary finesse. " she uttered unimpressed.

Henry poked at Ricken's bloodied robe. "Nya ha, I think they'd look their FINESSE-T, dead on the ground." he laughed.

Ricken awkwardly laughed his joke.

"Hush you two, we must make quick work of those mages. Tharja and the others have got quite the plate full with both ground forces and mages at their throats." Miriel said, peeking at the enemies.

"We need to take out those Knights first." Ricken whispered.

"Hehe, leave it to me. I've got something I've been _dying_ to try out." Henry chuckled.

He crept up to the edge of the wall and stuck his head around the corner. The Knights were on guard, waiting for any Ylissean soldiers that may try to head their way.

He walked out and whistled to them. The Knights turned to the white haired man and readied their lances.

Henry opened a deep purple tome and smiled. "This is going to be great!" he exclaimed.

Just as the Knights were about to make their way over, they found themselves ensnared in some sort of black fog that covered the ground beneath them.

"What the hell is this?" one of the Knights cried, trying to pull his leg out of the dark mass in futility.

The black mass on the floor grew and swallowed up the Knights in an instant, a dark cloud hovering around their bodies.

"Goetia!" Henry yelled, snapping his tome shut.

Purple lightning exploded around the cloud as it began to twist around violently.

The Knights now lay motionless on the ground as the cloud dissipated.

"Whoa.." Ricken said in awe.

Miriel raised a brow, before adjusting her glasses. "Indeed. Where did you come across such a spell? I hope you don't mind if I were to examine that tome later."

"Nya ha, not at all lady! I just did some fiddling with my Nosferatu tome! Just a little something they taught us back at magic camp." Henry said matter-o-factly, with a finger in the air.

"I thank you in advance. Now let us get back to the matter at hand." Miriel said as she made for the stairs.

Ricken paused, "Umm, there's a lot of them up there. Wouldn't it be best if we called for some back up?"

Miriel stopped. "While we are pressed for time, I'll have to agree with you. Henry, we will wait here. Would you be so kind as to alert Tharja and the others that the entrance to the stairs has been left unguarded?"

"Got ya!" Henry said as he sped off.

"Henry's kind of strange... but he's pretty cool." Ricken said.

"Yes, heaven forbid what would happen if he was still allied with Plegia." Miriel agreed.

"Blood... and then more blood..." Ricken smiled nervously at the thought.

* * *

><p>Robin and the group were sprinting down the streets in pursuit of the Dark Knight, Farber.<p>

"Nowi, any sign of him?" Robin yelled to the now reptilian girl hovering above the buildings.

"I see him! He's running across the rooftops with the guy with the weird hat!" she yelled down below.

"Which way are they headed?" Robin panted.

"Umm let's see.. East! They're going East! Should I go after them?" she asked.

"No! Not yet! Farber's got some really powerful magic on him. You definitely don't want to go for him alone."

Lucina made a turn, "This way! We can cut them off!"

They followed her and dashed down the street and into a tight alley. They shuffled through sideways towards the opening.

As they exited, they could see Farber and the Trickster sprinting across the roofs beside them.

"Damn, I can't use my magic with the buildings so close by." Robin said, keeping the people inside in mind.

Gregor sped up, "Lon'qu, use the arrows!"

"While running? I can try." he said as he pulled an arrow out from his quiver.

He took aim at Farber shakily as he ran. He tried to calm his breathing as he zeroed in on the figure at the front. As he exhaled, he let go of his string.

The arrow whizzed through the air towards the Dark Knight's back, but was sliced in two, falling onto the roofing.

"Damn it." Lon'qu gritted through his teeth.

The Trickster whipped his sword around, looking at them from over his shoulder as he ran.

It was clear with what strength they had, they wouldn't be able to get to Farber without dealing with this man first.

"Robin, let me deal with him. Go after Farber." Lon'qu requested.

"...Fine, don't go dying on me." he said, trusting the man who had trained him.

Lon'qu smiled, "Do realize who you're speaking to, pupil?"

Robin grinned, "For a second there, I thought I was speaking to Vaike."

Lon'qu looked up," Nowi! I need you to drop me in front of that guy"

"Hmm? You won't mind me touching you?" she asked.

"H-huh? No, you moron! I-I mean, you're a dragon right now anyways... Just hurry and do it!"

"Hehe, alrighty. But if you try anything funny, I'll have to eat ya!" she joked as she glided down and plucked him by the shoulders.

Lon'qu fidgeted in her grip before settling down.

"Make sure you beat fancy pants good!" Gregor yelled.

They were soaring above the rooftops, headed for the two retreating figures.

Lon'qu knew it was unwise to take on both of the men, so he sought to separate the two.

He pulled out his bow, took aim at the Trickster and fired.

The Trickster, who had been keeping his eye on them sidestepped and resumed his sprint.

'Hmph'

Lon'qu pulled back on his bow again, this time aiming for Farber.

The trickster slowed down to deflect the arrow like before.

'Got you.' Lon'qu thought to himself.

He grabbed a grip of arrows and rapidly fired off shots towards Farber.

Like predicted, the Trickster had to halt his sprint in order to hit all the arrows aimed for his commander, the distance between the two of them growing as Farber continued on his way.

Farber looked over his shoulder to see the two in pursuit. He slowed down and pulled out his tome.

"Sir, I'll deal with them. There's more than just these two after us. Get back to our men!" the Trickster said.

Farber put away his tome and resumed running. "Very well. Make sure to deal with them swiftly!" he called back.

Lon'qu increased his pace, burning through his supply of arrows.

The Trickster jumped around slashing at them, keeping up with Lon'qu's unrelenting assault.

Lon'qu was only meters away from the Trickster. He exhausted his final arrow before yelling to Nowi, "I've got him, drop me!"

Nowi let go of his shoulders and Lon'qu fell onto the roof, the tiling sliding off as he landed. As he rolled forward, he unsheathed his Killing Edge into a swipe on the Trickster.

The Trickster blocked with his own blade and they immediately found themselves in a lock, staring one another down.

Nowi called down to him,"Sorry, I'd help you out but my Dragonstone's just about drained. I need to get back to the others!"

Lon'qu replied, his attention never leaving the Trickster," It's fine, I wanted him to myself."

"You better make sure you come back safely! Who else will I play house with?"

"K-keep it down! I get it, just go help Robin and the others!" he yelled in embarrassment.

Nowi nodded then flew off.

The Trickster laughed, "That's cute."

"Shut your mouth." Lon'qu muttered, pressing down on the blade.

The Trickster readjusted his footing to compensate for the pressure on the blade. "Heh, did I do something to you? Perhaps we've met before? You seem to hold a grudge."

"Don't be fooled, this is nothing personal. To be able to successively strike down arrows mid-flight, you're no novice with a sword."

"So you merely wish to test your blade against mine? How very interesting." he said as he slid his blade from the lock, jumping back. "Tell me, what's your name?"

"It doesn't matter. Only one of us will be walking out of this." Lon'qu replied, uninterested.

"Well said."

They both broke into a sprint towards one another, clashing their blades.

* * *

><p>"He's still on the rooftop, but how to get him to us?" Robin asked aloud as they ran.<p>

"Magic's ruled out, we don't want any collateral." Lucina reminded.

"No, wait... If I were to use wind magic like I did with you earlier, it wouldn't cause damage to the buildings." Robin spoke.

"But weaker wind magic is more of a burst than a concentrated projectile. You'll need to be a lot closer." she said.

Nowi flew back down, hovering beside them as they ran. "Lon'qu's off trying to be a hero. My Dragonstone's lost most of its power, so I can't be of much use for a while."

"Wait, how much time do you have left?" Robin asked.

"At this rate, only about a minute" Nowi said, observing how she felt.

Robin jumped onto her leg.

"Hey! What are you doing? I said I don't have much time left!"Nowi cried.

"Then hurry up and bring me in front of Farber. I just need one shot at him." Robin ordered.

"Hmph, everyone's awfully bossy today. Well, whatever." she huffed.

She hoisted him up and flew towards Farber.

Farber saw the two appear before him and wasted no time firing off his tome from the edge of the rooftop.

Nowi evaded the lightning with expert aerobatics.

"Woah! Hey! I'm still here!" Robin yelled as they flew upside down.

"Stop whining! This guy's trying... to kill me and I've only got... a few seconds left." she breathed, the Dragonstone's depleting energy showing its effects.

They weaved under another Arcthunder.

"Nowi, throw me!"

"Huh!?"

"He's aiming for you! I can still get a shot on him."

"Alright, just don't go blaming me for anything!"

She tossed Robin towards the rooftop as another bolt of lightning zipped past.

Farber was too caught up in trying to shoot the beast down to react to Robin who had been falling next to him.

Robin fired a burst of elementary wind magic, just as he came crashing down.

"Waggh!" Farber cried as the gust of wind threw him off the roof.

Nowi swooped down and grabbed Robin.

She glided back to the street just as she morphed back into her humanoid self, sending them tumbling across the floor.

Robin moaned on the ground, Nowi on top of him.

He tousled her hair. "...Good work."

She looked up, clearly exhausted, and smiled cheekily.

Lucina, Gregor and Say'ri ran up to the two, helping them up.

"You got him." Say'ri praised.

"Yeah, but that won't be enough to put him down." Robin said, grabbing his sore shoulder.

The group recovered and ran up to Farber, who was just getting up from the fall.

"You dastards just won't let up." he spoke.

"Do not resist. You will not be slipping away anytime soon." Say'ri said angrily, blade drawn.

Farber drew his sword, tome in opposite hand. "Heh, why use wind when you could've very well killed me with lightning or flame? You're compassion is your weakness. I could care less about what happens to a few people and buildings." he said as he shot a Bolganone. The flame erupted from the ground and swept horizontally across the street forming a wall of fire.

Having blocked them off, Farber turned around and began heading towards the battlefield.

A burst of wind extinguished a portion of the wall as Lucina ran through and slashed at him.

Farber stepped back, blocking her strikes. He took aim and unleashed another fissure of flames.

Lucina rolled away as Say'ri leapt at Farber from his blind spot. She cut over his already wounded shoulder.

Farber growled in pain, before slamming the hilt of his blade against the side of her face.

Say'ri was knocked to the ground.

Farber spaced himself away, trying to avoid any other surprise attacks.

He quickly exchanged tomes for his Arcthunder as he scanned their movements.

Robin put out the rest of the fire, Gregor running over to help Say'ri up.

"Be cautious, he's using his magic in tandem with his sword." Robin said. Seeing Farber holding his yellow tome, Robin too swapped to his Arcthunder.

"Then we can't give him the chance to use any magic. Let's attack him all at once." Lucina said as she charged.

Farber shot an Arcthunder towards her. She jumped over it, spinning vertically in the air with her Falchion slicing towards him.

He stopped it with his blade.

'Damn, can't hit him with electricity with their blades locked. ' Robin thought as he came running at him from the side with his Bronze Sword.

Robin swiped upwards, tearing at his shirt and cutting into his arm.

The strength in Farber's other arm waned and as his blade lowered, Lucina headbutted him.

Farber fell backwards but flipped a meter away to his feet in recovery.

He shot another bolt of lightning that hit Lucina's Falchion.

"Aghh!" she groaned as the current traveled up her arm. She dropped the sword and tried to shake off the numbness.

Robin dashed at Farber, trying to cut the man's throat.

Farber leaned back, barely dodging the blade.

Gregor leapt in and swung his sword. It sliced through his tome, rendering it useless.

Robin plunged his sword into Farbers stomach, but Farber tried to sidestep the thrust and it missed his vitals.

Farber collapsed on the floor, clutching his side. Blood drenched his shirt.

Before they could finish him off, a blast of flame impacted the ground in front of them knocking them back. Yet another wall of fire separated them from the downed Commander.

Robin turned to see 5 Dark Knights galloping down the street to their location. The Valmese had apparently noticed the lights show Farber had put on and had sent a group to scout the area.

"Everyone, pull back into the alley!" Robin yelled as they retreated away from the enemies.

The Dark Knights rushed to Farber's side.

"He's injured! Take him to a Cleric!" one of the Knights said as he hoisted Farber onto a horse.

They looked around to see that Robin and the others were gone. They turned and fled with their commander.

In the alley, the group was catching their breaths.

"How is your arm?" Say'ri asked while she rubbed her bruised cheek.

"It's fine. The feeling is coming back." Lucina breathed. "He was a lot tougher than I expected."

"It's his damn magic." Robin said in frustration, grasping at strands of his hair. "He knows I can't get too careless with mine, otherwise I would've taken him out by now."

"And that's exactly what makes you different from him." Lucina said.

Robin looked at her.

"Earlier, I could tell his words were getting to you. At some point it seemed like you were buying into what he was saying. From what I've seen, yes, you had numerous opportunities to take him down, yet you restrained yourself to make sure no one else in their homes got hurt." she said.

Robin smiled bittersweetly. " I admit, there were moments where I contemplated disregarding the houses... I.. I felt that if as long as I took him out..."

Lucina put her hand on his, which was curled into a tight fist. She looked at him firmly in the eyes, "All that matters was that you didn't. We've all had terrible thoughts run through our heads before, but what's important is how you choose to act upon them. It's much easier to be a bad person than a good one in such desperate situations. You picked the hard path, and I admire you for sticking to it." she concluded.

Robin smiled, a real one, as he closed his eyes.

He gently pulled her into a deep hug, taking her by surprise.

She was unsure how to react, so she had decided to just stand there.

"Thank you, Lucina. For always keeping me in check." he spoke with her in his arms.

"...I fear if I hadn't, we'd all be long dead by now." she muttered.

Robin laughed as he let her go. "Finally getting the hang of making humor and you choose the dark kind."

She smirked. "Let's get moving. We failed to stop him, so all that's left for us is to join the others in battle." she said walking ahead.

"She is right. Let us hurry to put an end to this." Say'ri said as she followed her.

Robin checked his pockets making sure nothing had fallen out during his various tumbles.

When he looked up, he saw Gregor chuckling and Nowi puckering up her lips. "You're different from other guys and I admire you for it." she cooed, completely warping what Lucina had said.

Gregor wrapped his arms around himself, simulating a hug. "Thank you for checking me out." he said dramatically, doing a poor imitation of Robin. Nowi snorted in laughter.

"Oh, shut up." Robin said irritably as he walked past the two.

* * *

><p>The blades danced at extraordinary speeds.<p>

Sounds of steel colliding echoed through the empty town.

Lon'qu panted, sweat dripping down his face. He ducked as another swing went across the top of his head.

The Trickster slashed at him again, but Lon'qu slanted his blade, sending it sliding off of it.

Lon'qu sidekicked the man sending him rolling backwards. The Trickster hopped to his feet.

The two paused, breathing heavily.

They had been going at it for the last 5 minutes. Neither had shown any signs of exhaustion until now.

"You're pretty good. You've been fighting your whole life, haven't you?" the Trickster said, wiping the sweat over his eyelids.

"That much is obvious. The sweat on your brow alone should tell the tale." Lon'qu said, catching his breath.

"That's not what I'm getting at. You feel raw, feral. It's all too familiar. After all, I was a fellow street urchin." the Trickster said with a smug look.

"Very perceptive." Lon'qu said as he narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Why're you wasting time with me? I'm sure someone like you would be much appreciated on the battlefield with your comrades." he asked.

"They can handle themselves. If you're having trouble me, you better pray you never run into them." Lon'qu stated with confidence.

"Heh, so what personal goal are you trying to fulfill? What are you trying to prove?"

"...You're right, but don't think for one second I'm doing this with only myself in mind. That staff of yours is a rare one. I've heard my wife mumbling about it forever. I'll take the chance and assume you're the only one among your men with such a tool. If I'm right, then I'm more than heping if I can ensure that you can't come to your _master's_ rescue like last time."

"And if you're wrong?"

"It's as you say. To fight someone with such unorthodox skill like yourself will no doubt stimulate my growth. I need to get stronger to prove myself. I need to... make sure I'm worthy of protecting them..."

Thoughts raced through Lon'qu's head. He remember back to when he was but a boy, what he went through, what he lost. 'Ke'ri... I'm sorry...I'm sorry I was so powerless... But I'll be damned if I ever let a thing happen to Lissa.' Lon'qu thought with intense determination.

The Trickster got into stance. "I almost envy you. To be able to have such noble goals after crawling out of the shit hole we came from. I lack such morals. Seems I'll be scum to the end."

Lon'qu brought up his Killing Edge in front of him. "Spare me. You could've very well fled for your life, yet you chose to stay back and safeguard that dastard."

"Heh, so you're saying I've changed, are you?"

"Let our blades give you your answer." Lon'qu breathed before he charged at the man, blade thrusted outwards.

The Trickster ran towards the blade as he tilted his body to the side, scraping his own sword across it. As his sword traveled along the edge of Lon'qu's, he pulled it though and slashed at the Myrmidon's face.

Lon'qu pulled his head back last second, earning only a deep slice in his cheek.

Lon'qu didn't even flinch as he pulled his own blade back and slashed the man across the chest.

The Trickster gave out a yelp as he slid back, wiping over his new wound. He was losing a tremendous amount of blood, evident by his blurring vision. He saw Lon'qu jump in the air and twirl, bringing his blade down with the built up momentum.

The Trickster dove out of the way, Lon'qu's blade cracking the tilings on the roof.

Lon'qu, seeing the Trickster's movements become more sluggish, rushed him with a flurry of strikes.

The Trickster backed away, blocking with one hand on his sword, the other trying to stop himself from bleeding out.

He deflected one of Lon'qu's hits to the side and kicked him in his right shoulder.

The force of the kick spun Lon'qu around, the blow to his nerves causing him to drop his sword on the tiling.

Lon'qu turned to see the man sprinting towards him for a reverse grip slash.

Lon'qu somersaulted backwards from the upward swipe, his right hand grabbing his blade as he flipped.

Once back on his feet he quickly thrust his sword into the Trickster's exposed chest, this time drawing blood.

The Trickster coughed blood onto Lon'qu's coat, as he was held standing up by the blade impaling him. His grip on his sword weakened, dropping it.

Lon'qu pulled his blade out from the man's chest, the Trickster collapsing onto the roofing.

"I hope you got your answer." Lon'qu spoke as he sheathed his blade.

The Trickster smiled contently, blood dripping from his mouth. He shakily reached for the staff tucked into his belt and tossed it to Lon'qu's feet. "...I'm sure your wife... would love it..." he mumbled as the life drained from his face.

Lon'qu wiped the blood from his cheek as he reached down for the staff.

He picked up the dead Trickster and carried him over his shoulder as he hopped back down onto the street.

He set his dead foe on a nearby bench and headed off to join the rest of the Shepherds.

* * *

><p>Olivia weaved through the attacks of the Valmese soldiers as if dancing. She left precise, lethal cuts on them as she spun by.<p>

An Arcwind slammed into her back sending her flying over the crowd.

Cordelia glided by on her pegasus and caught the dancer, setting her on the seat behind her.

"...Thank ...you!" Olivia said. The blow had knocked the wind out of her. She desperately tried to catch her breath.

"Don't mention it. Get ready, we're going back down." Cordelia said as she tugged on the reins of her pegasus.

They landed immediately, avoiding being shot out of the air. They galloped at high speed, trampling down the Valmese in their path, Olivia cutting down those who stepped out of the way.

On the other side, a Dark Knight had knocked Donnel to the ground with a Bolganone. Although not a direct hit, the street violently fracturing beneath him had sent him to his back. The pure heat from the flame left him with a nasty burn on his leg.

The Dark Knight trudged over on his horse. He took aim, looking to incinerate the immobilized boy.

He released the fissure of flame but it scattered in different directions before it could reach Donnel.

Maribelle had rushed in and used her Ward staff to create a momentary barrier, shielding Donnel.

Panne bolted at the Dark Knight, propelling him meters away with a kick from her hind legs. The Dark Knight crumpled on the floor, ribs sure to have been cracked.

"Ah ah ahhh!" Donnel yelped from the searing pain on his leg.

Maribelle grabbed his hand and squeezed, pulling out her Mend staff. "Be still, Donny" she spoke gently to him.

Donnel bit at his shirt as she healed his burn. The skin over the wound closed up, leaving only a red mark and a soft stinging.

Donnel breathed a sigh of relief. "T-thanks ma'am" he panted as he got up.

Maribelle whacked him softly with the staff, before smiling at him.

Explosions could be heard above. Miriel and the others had led the Ylissean mages up the walls, and were flooding in from the north side of the elevated walkway.

Less and less magic was being fired onto the streets, as the Valmese mages turned their attentions to the Ylisseans who had zeroed in on their positions.

Mages from both sides were thrown onto the streets below as the two forces fought for dominance of the town walls.

"Archers! Hit them while they're occupied! If we have control over the high ground, this battle is ours!" Flavia boomed.

The archers rained their arrows down onto the Valmese atop the walls. The Valmese began firing back, fighting two fronts from their positions.

* * *

><p>Inside the Valmese barracks, Farber pieced on his Dark Knight armor. His wounds had been treated by the Valmese clerics and despite their objections, readied himself to ride into battle.<p>

The door opened. "Sir, the Ylisseans are attempting to take the walls." a Valmese Knight reported, saluting his superior.

"Hmph, ready our barrels of oil. I need you and your men to douse as many of the shops and homes as you can with what we've got."

The Knight shuddered. "S-sir? But the town!"

Farber put on his shin guards. "Worry not, it's merely a deterrent if things fall out of our favor. A last resort to get them to pull out. However, if they fail to comply with our demands and we end up going through with it, send a handful of cavalrymen to ride out and spread word that the Ylissean forces have ransacked the town. The Ylisseans are trying to uphold their image as 'saviors'. Even if our forces fall here, it would spell defeat for them if the town were to go up in flames. They'd have both us and the people of Valm to deal with if things come down to it."

The Knight was hesitant, but complied with his Commander's orders.

Farber finished equipping himself and made for the stables.

* * *

><p>Chrom's Falchion tore through the Valmese Knight's armor.<p>

Sumia charged in with her pegasus, skewered the Knight with her lance and tossed him forward.

On the ground, the Knight tried to pull the lance out of his bleeding chest, but was ended as Chrom lunged in and buried his Falchion into his gut.

Chrom pulled out his Falchion and the lance, tossing the weapon back to his wife.

Sumia caught the lance and slammed its side onto another Valmese soldier that tried to slash at her mount.

"Chrom!"

Chrom turned his attention to the voice.

Robin and his group came running towards them, cutting through the sea of enemies.

Chrom hugged Lucina and ruffled her hair as she came up to him.

"You guys made it! Virion and your forces rushed in from the west a while back. You weren't with them so I began to fear the worst." Chrom spoke in relief.

"There's been a setback. We couldn't take out their commander in time. He was rescued by a group of Dark Knights. He should be heading here in a matter of minutes." Robin said.

"That's a shame, but all I care about is that you guys got back in one piece. Hey... where's Lon'qu?" Chrom asked as he looked over the group of 5.

"He stayed back to hold off a troublesome foe that had been guarding Farber. Don't worry, not just anyone can take him down." Robin spoke confidently.

"Sounds like him. And who's she?" Chrom asked pointing at the Chon'sin women.

"This is Say'ri. She's part of a resistance movement against the Valmese. She helped us out earlier. Say'ri, this is our commander and the prince of Ylisse, Chrom."

"It is an honor. I wish to fight by your sides, if that would be no trouble." Say'ri said as she held out a hand.

"Anyone that helps my friends and daughter is a friend of mine. Welcome aboard." Chrom said as he shook her hand.

Robin spoke up, "What's the situation?"

"We've got them on the ropes. Our mages are trying to take hold of the town walls. We just need to keep fighting!" Chrom yelled as he ran behind them and cut down a swordsman who tried to catch them off guard.

The enemy came at the group from all sides.

Robin pulled out his Bronze Sword and parried an incoming strike. Lucina jumped in and cut deep into the Valmese soldier's back.

A hatchet was thrown at Lucina. Sumia rode in and knocked it away with her lance.

"Mother!" Lucina called, gratefully.

"Don't worry! I've got you!" Sumia called back with a smile as she went to go take care of the Valmese Fighter who had thrown it.

"Commander Farber!" a Valmese swordsmen shouted.

Farber had stormed the battlefield on horseback. With him were 5 other Dark Knights.

They rode into battle, annihilating the Ylissean forces in their way with their tremendous magical power.

"Here he comes!" Robin yelled as he ran towards him.

"I've got your back!" Chrom said, following the Tactician.

"As do I!" Lucina said in pursuit.

They fought through the Valmese on their way to Farber and his guard.

The Dark Knights fired their Bolganones in sync at the trio, hoping for a quick finish.

Robin shot an Arcwind along the ground, halting the advancing pillars of flame.

Chrom and Lucina dashed over the cracks in the floor as they charged at a Dark Knight side by side.

Lucina ran ahead and slid under and past the horse, cutting at its legs.

The horse collapsed to the ground as Chrom dove at the Dark Knight riding it with the tip of his Falchion.

He pierced the Dark Knight's throat and quickly pulled the sword out as he rolled away, just barely dodging an Arcthunder.

One of the Dark Knights fired repeatedly at Chrom, who dashed in a zigzag motion to avoid the bolts.

Robin sidestepped several Arcthunders as he rushed at the Dark Knight shooting at Chrom. As he came behind the Dark Knight's horse, he vaulted up in a spinning horizontal slash at his back. The Dark Knight dropped dead on the ground.

Another Dark Knight took aim at Lucina who got up from the floor beside him. He fired off an Arcthunder point blank, but Lucina quickly swatted his arm away with the flat side of her Falchion. She brought the blade back around and severed the man's arm. The Dark Knight screamed in agony, grabbing at the stub. Lucina put him out of his misery as she slashed his throat swiftly.

In less than 20 seconds, only two more Dark Knights remained, with Farber at the back.

Farber pulled out his sword. He charged at Robin and released a Bolganone. The flame ripped ahead and Robin rolled out of its path. As soon as he got up, Farber galloped by and slit the side of Robin's arm. Robin doubled over, grabbing at his arm.

Farber circled around and dashed at the tactician.

Robin dove for one of the fallen Dark Knight's tomes.

He flipped onto his back and fired a Bolganone of his own straight for Farber.

Farber pulled back on the reins. The horse yielded backwards, standing on its hind legs as it narrowly avoided the smoldering earth ripping below.

Chrom ran to Robin's side, helping his friend up.

Lucina was caught between the two remaining Dark Knights, struggling to move out of their line of fire.

Bolts of lightning ripped across the sky towards the Dark Knights, frying them.

Lucina looked up and across to see Ricken, Miriel, Henry and Tharja atop the town walls. Their forces had successfully claimed the walls.

With the Ylisseans boasting superior numbers and positioning, the battle would soon be coming to an end.

Farber scoffed and turned tail up the street, some of his men following suit.

Say'ri, Lon'qu and Lissa came running up to the trio.

"Lon'qu, you made it." Robin grinned, before wincing at the cut on his arm.

"I hope that it's not too surprising." he smiled. "Lissa?"

"Right!" Lissa said as she tended to Robin's wound.

Lucina came up to them. "Farber and about 20 of his men fled deeper into town. Should we follow?"

"Absolutely, as soon as Robin get's patched up. We need him ready with his magic." Chrom said.

Lon'qu pulled out something from within his robe and handed it to Lissa.

"Is this... a Rescue staff!? Where did you find it!?" Lissa said, as she excitedly examined the staff.

"A gift, from that Trickster." Lon'qu said.

"Good thing you managed to recover it. It'll prove handy in tough situations." Robin said, rubbing over the smooth spot where his cut had been. Unfortunately the healing did little to fix the tear in his coat.

"Yeah it will!" Lissa exclaimed as she kissed Lon'qu on the cheek. Lon'qu fidgeted a bit. Since marrying Lissa, his gynophobia had improved dramatically. He still showed little hints of uncomfortability here and there, but was for the most part 'cured'. It was a fact that many among the Shepherds still often joked to him about, much to his chagrin.

"Okay, I think our forces have pretty much got this wrapped up. Let's go after Farber." Robin said as he pulled out his Bronze Sword.

"Alright. Lissa, stay by Lon'qu." Chrom said to her.

Lissa stuck her tongue out.

The group ran up the street Farber and his men had retreated to.

They spotted a few soldiers far up the street turn left and down another road.

"Hurry! We're catching up to them!" Chrom said.

As they got closer to the street the Valmese gone down, they noticed a peculiar odor lingering in the air.

"What is that?" Lissa asked, sniffing the air.

"I think it's.. oil!?" Robin said. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

The group hurriedly turned the corner to see a line of Valmese soldiers on the street ahead of them.

Behind them, Farber was standing over a trail of oil, holding up a lit torch.

They noticed many of the buildings have been splashed with oil, lots of it spilled onto the floor and ran down the street.

"Farber! What the hell are you doing?" Robin yelled.

"Listen, and listen well, Ylisseans. Take your forces and pull out. If you refuse to do so, this town will go up in flames." Farber said calmly.

"You're mad! What of all the people in these houses?!" Chrom boomed.

"That depends on how you choose to handle this situation. I'd much prefer to keep this town intact, but if need be, I'll take you down with us." Farber spoke.

"You believe this fire will take out all of our forces? Ridiculous!" Lucina shouted.

"There is more than one way to beat an opponent. Of course I don't plan on taking you out with this. However, what will the people of Valm think of their Ylissean neighbors if they were to hear that you razed an entire town, killing thousands? Good luck on your way to the capital. Even the most peace loving of citizens will surely take up arms against you in outrage."

"Your fear us joining up with the Resistance and seek to divide us? A sound strategy, but to consider massacring_ innocent_ lives to achieve it is beyond tasteless." Robin spat.

"Do not think for one second that we will allow you to get away with this!" Say'ri cried in anger.

The group steadily advanced towards the line of Valmese. The soldiers raised their weapons.

"Did you not hear me? Stand down! One wrong move and I drop this torch!" Farber yelled to the Shepherds.

The Shepherds halted.

Chrom gritted his teeth in frustration.

Robin scanned around, racking his brain for anyway to solve this dilemma without retreating or getting the citizens caught up. And then...

'I've got you, you dastard.' Robin thought.

He walked up to Lissa and whispered in her ear.

Farber was growing restless with their defiance. "This will be my last warning to you! Take your men and leave! Do you not wish to rescue these people!?" he yelled.

Robin glared at him. "Oh, I'll do some _rescuing_ alright. Lissa, now!"

Lissa raised her staff in the air. It shimmered with a faint light.

***VWOOOSH***

"W-what!?" Farber cried as he found himself warped to the ground in front of Robin.

Robin held his Bronze Sword in reverse grip with one hand, the tip pointed at Farber.

"Checkmate." Robin muttered as he used his free hand to drive the hilt of his blade down, forcibly slamming the sword through the armor and into Farber's heart.

"Grapgh" Farber choked out, as blood dripped from his mouth. He dropped the torch onto the dry ground and Lucina stomped the flame out.

Farber lay dead on the floor.

The Valmese soldiers dropped their weapons and got down on their knees. "W-we surrender! This was his idea!" one of the men stammered. They've seen the Shepherds in combat. Although they outnumbered them on this street, they knew very well they were no match without their commander.

"That was some fine thinking!" Chrom grinned as patted Robin on the shoulder.

"Indeed." Say'ri agreed, smiling.

"Thanks gods Lissa was here. And Lon'qu for getting a hold of that staff." Robin said.

"This battle has yet to end. Let's bring this to a close." said Lucina

"That's right. Let's take these guys and head back to the others." Chrom said.

* * *

><p>The enemy commander had fallen. Like predicted, the fighting continued.<p>

But after 20 minute, the remaining Valmese troops were either defeated or surrendered to the Ylissean forces.

The Valmese soldiers were disarmed and lined up against the town walls, under surveillance by the Ylisseans.

They would remain there until a proper way to detain them was thought of.

Ylissean cavalry rode through town, heralding the defeat of the Valmese forces.

Slowly, the townspeople began exiting their homes, cheering for the Ylissean forces.

Despite the damage to the town, the people welcomed the Ylisseans as their liberators from the Empire.

They aided in tending the injured and had helped to set up shelters for them.

The people also supplied the soldiers with generous portions of food in thanks.

The Shepherds and Khans were gathered around in the former Valmese barracks celebrating the victory.

"Damn good work, everyone! It was a tough battle, but we pulled through!" Chrom said as he held up his mug of alcohol.

Everyone cheered, lifting their own mugs.

"We'll be staying in town for next few days to recuperate, so feel free to take some time to yourselves. You've all earned it." Chrom spoke.

Robin took a sip from his mug as Sumia walked by. "Robin! I'm glad you're safe!" she said as she hugged him.

Robin patted her on the back from the hug. "Same to you!" he smiled.

Sumia let him go. "Thank you for looking out for Lucina. I told Chrom we had nothing to worry about." she smiled.

Robin laughed, "On the contrary, it's her that's been looking out for me recently."

"Ohh? What do you mean?" Sumia asked mischievously.

"Hah, it's nothing. Cheers!" he said, bumping her mug with his, and taking another drink.

Sumia pouted, but quickly chugged her drink as well. She waved at him then went to meet with the others.

The Shepherds went around congratulating one another on a job well done.

"You did good out there." A feminine voice spoke.

Robin saw Lucina sit down in the chair opposite from him.

"Right back at you. It's a shame my plan ended up folding on itself though." he smiled.

"Regardless, your quick thinking won the day yet again. I especially like that one line. 'I'll do some rescuing alright?', was it?."

Robin's face went red.

Lucina continued, "That 'Checkmate' of yours was also a nice touch."

Robin sunk in his chair.

"But like I said... your swordwork still needs some improvement." she said, sipping her drink.

Robin rested his head in his palms. "You just can't give me a break can you?"

"Just a word of advice that can potentially save your life." she said.

"How about a rematch then?" he smirked.

"Depends on whether or not you intend on running your mouth mid-fight again." she smirked back.

"Haha, I think I've learned my lesson." he laughed.

"Then I accept your challenge." she said.

Robin extended his hand.

Lucina reached out and shook it.

Robin heard Stahl and Vaike calling him over. "Looks like I'm needed. I'll catch you around." he said, patting her shoulder as he left.

Lucina smiled as she sipped the rest of her drink.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And it's over. Pretty long chapter too!**

**Henry gleefully destroys some enemies.**

**Lon'qu got a nice one on one with that Trickster. For some reason I couldn't help but imagine Zoro from One Piece when I wrote that part.**

**That slippery dastard Farber got REK'D at the end, but I think he put up a good fight.**

**Hope you enjoyed the bits of fluff sprinkled through the chapter.**

**I've made the 'Rescue staffs' a rare commodity in this story. After all, the last thing I'd want to write is a battle with enemies teleporting everywhere...**

**In regards to Beastones and Dragonstones, I've made them to be somewhat 'rechargeable' instead of simply breaking after a certain amount of uses. Kind of like they use it for a while, then have to wait for it to restore some of its depleted energy.**

**The Ylisseans won the battle and will now enjoy some time in town before heading off.**

**Next couple of chapters will be pretty fun, so stay tuned!**


	10. When Men get Together, They're Boys

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: I kind of went back to 'Smoldering Resistance 2' and changed Say'ri's comment about the Resistance base being the _only _tavern in town. I really hate doing stuff like that but figured it doesn't really hold any significance to the plot other than to allow this fun little chapter to happen.**

**When Men get Together, They're Boys**

It was the day after their victory over the Valmese, and an important victory it was. It was their first win on Valmese soil, managing to rid the town of its Imperial occupation.

Despite the event's significance, the thought dwelled in few minds among the Shepherds, as they sought to make the most of the free days that Chrom had presented them.

* * *

><p>Robin had just awoken from his cot in the barracks.<p>

He got up to stretch then walked over to the trough like sink at the end of the room and pressed down on the pump a few times, until cool water dripped onto his open palm.

He took a handful and dunked his face in the small pool. He grabbed a second batch and ran the liquid through his hair.

He reached for the rag he had stuffed in his pocket, and wiped his face and rubbed his hair dry.

Robin felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Not the weight of the burdens of war that he usually felt, a weight that was more... obnoxious.

He turned his head to see none other than Vaike, leaning against him, stealing from some of the water he had started up.

"Morning, Vaike" Robin greeted.

"Morning, Robin" he replied.

"What've you got planned for today?" Robin asked.

"It's not so much as I, as we." Vaike grinned.

"...I'm already not liking this."

"Come on, don't be like that! We're all just gonna go out and have some fun in town. No wives or girls this time. Just us bros!"

"Well, that doesn't sound... too bad I guess. Count me in." Robin smiled.

Vaike shook his shoulders lightly. "Alright! You better get ready, we're gonna start soon."

"Already? We just got up."

"You can't exactly squeeze every moment out of the day if you're gonna be getting out at noon now can you?" Vaike explained.

"I suppose so... What are we doing first?"

* * *

><p>"We're drinking at 8 in the morning!?" Robin asked incredulously.<p>

Vaike had led them to a tavern across town.

Vaike sipped his mug. "Don't worry, this is just our first stop. We won't be here long anywho. Just need a few good drinks before the real fun starts!"

"I'm all for fun, but doesn't this strike any of you as a tad excessive?" Robin asked around to the others who had joined them.

Lon'qu shrugged his shoulders and downed another glass.

Gregor was on his third already.

Stahl spoke up, "Take it easy Robin. When's the last time we all got to do something like this?"

"Yeah Bubbles, will it kill you to get your mind off of work every once in a while? I mean what happened to the 'fun' Robin from last year?" Gaius asked.

"That was before I had a _war_ to worry about. Ughhh, you know what, just hand me one." Robin groaned. Although it seemed a bit counterintuitive, he figured he'd need some alcohol if he planned on getting through this day.

"That's the spirit!" Vaike said as he slid a mug of ale down the counter to Robin.

Virion being the _high class_ individual he was, enjoyed himself a glass of the tavern's finest wine. "I myself cannot wait to begin our little excursion. There are bound to be plenty of beauties roaming about that I'm certain would be dying to hear of how I fought so valiantly to liberate their home from the clutches of that Conqueror."

"I thought this was a guy's only thing?" Robin asked.

"Why yes, in regards that only us men among the Shepherds will partake in today's events." Virion spoke.

Vaike sat up and leaned on the counter. "Got that right! Wait til you see what I've got planned today. But first, hey pops! We need another round of drinks over here!" he yelled to the barkeeper.

"Another? I haven't even finished my first." Robin said.

"Well you better finish fast if you don't want dish duty for the next week." Lon'qu mumbled as he slammed down his glass. His face was slightly tinged red.

"What?" Robin asked.

"We made a bet that whoever fails to keep up, and or passes out, gets the dishes for a week." Stahl said.

"I didn't agree to any of this." Robin frowned.

Gaius leaned in to Robin and whispered, "Well too bad. If you don't, I'll have to go around telling everyone just how much you love reading books about, naughty pegasus riders..." Gaius smirked.

"What are y-you talking about? Those belong to Sumia and Cordelia! They're always giving me all kinds of books! Besides, I've yet to open any of that... that!" Robin stammered.

"Hey, all that matters was I found those on you, in your stuff."

"Like I care. Go ahead." Robin said setting down his mug.

Gaius smirked.

"..."

"..."

"You do realize I'm technically your superior right?"

Gaius held his smirk.

"..."

"..."

"What if I tell everyone about that tattoo on you?"

Still smirking.

"..."

"..."

"Damn you. Give me that!" Robin yelled as he chugged the last of his drink, quickly snatching another.

"Alright, now that all of us here are on board, how about a drinking game?" Stahl asked enthusiastically.

"How about a game of 'Would you Rather'? If you refuse to pick, you've got to down an entire mug." Gaius explained.

Robin slammed his head on the table.

"I'll go first." Vaike said. "Lon'qu, would you rather get in bed with a man or a woman?"

Gaius spit his drink onto the counter.

Stahl and Gregor were howling with laughter.

Virion nearly choked on his wine.

Robin couldn't help but lift his head and chuckle.

Lon'qu looked as if he had just thought up 100 different ways to kill Vaike. "What kind of question is that you fool? We've been over this, I'm not bothered by that anymore. And I'm married!" he spat.

Vaike pat the seething man's back as he laughed. "I'm just joking with you. You still have to answer it though."

"Woman" Lon'qu said bitterly as he sipped his drink.

Gaius wiped a tear from his eye, "Alright, I'm next. Let's see... Stahl. Would you rather kiss Walhart's rear or take a beating from Sully?"

"Hmm. I get enough bruises from just sparring with Sully, so I wouldn't even want to know how bad a shape I'd be if she just wailed on me. But, as lovely Walhart's backside might be, I'll have to go with the beating." Stahl said.

"Really?" Gaius asked.

Lon'qu smirked. "It's always those plain guys you've got to watch out for. This one turned out to be quite the masochist."

They all laughed.

"Gregor will go next. Robin, who would you make with, scary Tharja or Chrom's daughter?"

Robin gritted his teeth. It appears that Gregor intended to fully pursue what had happened yesterday.

Robin really didn't want to drink an entire mug, so,"...Lucina."

"Wow, Bubbles. Awful bold of you. You didn't even have to think about that one, did you?" Gaius chuckled.

"What do you m-mean? You think I'd rather have Tharja?" Robin shuddered. Although he was used to Tharja's eccentric ways and considered her a friend, the thought of being anymore than that was quite... unsettling.

"Hey, I'm not judging! Older Lucina _is_ pretty cute." Vaike grinned.

Robin punched Vaike in the chest.

"*cough* Hey! What's up with that? You aren't getting jealous are you?" He smiled.

Robin turned away and sipped his drink. "I promised to help Chrom keep guys like you away from her." he smirked.

"You're the one that picked her!" Vaike whined.

"And I did so without that enthusiasm you just had."

"Ahh, whatever. Everyone just finish their drinks so we can get a move on." Vaike said.

** Bar Count: 1**

* * *

><p>"So what are we doing now?" Robin asked as the group walked up the street.<p>

"A little contest on who could pick up a girl first within the hour." Vaike said.

"Since this is after all a guys only day, you merely need to find out where she lives." Gaius added.

"You've only got a shot at one girl, so pick wisely! Oh, since Lon'qu's married,, he's out." Stahl said.

"I'm certain there's some prize for the losers, am I right?" Robin asked grudgingly.

"You've got that right. Like last time, losers drink an entire mug." Gaius said.

"Are you guys _trying_ to get alcohol poisoning?" Robin asked.

"Heh, that's what sets apart the men from the boys." Lon'qu grinned a bit evilly.

"Idiots..." Robin muttered.

"I will have the honor of going first." Virion smiled. "Best make way back to the Tavern, as this win is surely mine." he said proudly.

Virion stood at the corner of the street, looking around for someone that suited his tastes.

He caught sight of a young, pretty brunette selling flowers at a stand and made his way over.

The group couldn't overhear the conversation, but they saw Virion talking to the girl, making use of dozens of gestures.

Virion pulled out his bow, and pretended to fire off into the distance.

He then leaned into the now blushing girl's ear and whispered something.

He was abruptly smacked across the face and trudged back to the group.

They all bellowed with laughter at the bright red handprint across his cheek.

"Haha! What did you say to her to earn yourself that?" Stahl laughed.

"Heh heh, I'd much prefer to just keep quiet about such a thing." Virion said, rubbing his cheek.

"Watch Gregor show you kids how it is done." Gregor said confidently as he walked up to a short haired blonde.

"Hello, pretty thing. Gregor was sent here to take you out."

The girl dropped the basket she was carrying and ran.

As Gregor walked back in defeat, the group laughed.

" 'Sent here to take you out'? You sounded like some assassin!" Vaike howled.

"No, no. Woman these days are just not use to Gregor's charms." he said.

The rest of the group took turns, all ending in failure.

Gaius came back empty handed, but was referred to the finest physician in town to help out with his 'condition'.

Stahl was mistaken for nearly 2 other people, coming back with a loss.

Vaike was pointed to the nearest clothing store, being berated for walking around shirtless in public.

Robin found the game ridiculous, hardly putting any effort to strike up an interesting conversation.

But despite getting along well with women, Robin had to admit romantic relationships weren't exactly his forte.

None of the group had managed to secure a win, so only Lon'qu was spared from the 'prize'.

* * *

><p><strong>Bar Count: 2<strong>

They all sat around in a different tavern in town, the losers quickly gulping down there ales.

Vaike passed them all another one.

It seemed that another rule was the '2 drink minimum' at every tavern they went to. It didn't help that Vaike had made it a point to head back to another tavern every time one of their _events_ ended.

"So we're essentially bar hopping." Robin deadpanned.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Vaike said happily.

"What was our next drinking game?" Lon'qu asked. His red face made it apparent that he was already buzzed.

"Never have I ever" Virion stated.

"We all need to make a deal to keep this truthful then. You swear on your name as a Shepherd you won't lie." Lon'qu said dramatically.

"You know what, I'll go first this time." Robin said taking the lead. "Never have I ever wet myself during battle."

Stahl and Lon'qu's eyes shot to Vaike.

Robin burst into laughter, "No way!".

"It seems Teach doesn't even give himself a bathroom pass." Gaius chuckled.

Vaike flushed red. "T-that wasn't any ordinary Wyvern, I'm telling you..." he muttered as he took a large gulp.

Everyone laughed at the thought of the self proclaimed tough guy, soiling himself in front of a wyvern.

"Robin, your turn." Vaike said.

"Okay, ummm. Never have I ever... peeped at another one of the Shepherds."

Again, Stahl, Lon'qu and even Robin's eyes snapped to Vaike.

"W-what the hell?!" he yelled.

Vaike grabbed his mug and took another drink.

Virion joined him this time.

"Why doesn't that surprise me..." Stahl said smugly.

Virion merely flashed him a smile and continued his drink.

"My turn." Lon'qu stated. "Never have I ever... felt bad... about killing the enemy..."

Robin was caught by surprise.

He himself has had that thought numerous times. Having made the pact at the start of the game, he would have to come clean about it. He could only hope they wouldn't think less of him for being too compassionate about killing off any of their adversaries. After all, any hesitation from their tactician could spell death for them.

As Robin nervously reached for his cup, he saw that everyone at the table had taken a drink themselves, Lon'qu included.

"You guys too?" Robin asked.

Stahl rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I love being a Shepherd, and I'd gladly take down anyone trying to bring harm to us. Doesn't mean I don't feel bad for killing people." he said.

Vaike, Virion and Gregor nodded.

Gaius spoke up, "My refusal to help kill Emmeryn was what got me together with you guys."

"However blood thirsty I may seem in combat... it pains me when I think of what kind of person I had actually killed was." Lon'qu stated.

"Don't we all." Virion said solemnly.

Robin took a sip from his mug. He was no longer afraid to admit it. Turns out that he wasn't the only one plagued with the guilt. He's not sure if it was the new found solidarity among them, or merely the alcohol working its wonders, but Robin felt a surge of strength rise up from within him."I'm honored to fight alongside you guys." he said proudly.

Everyone shared a soft smile before laughing.

"Haha, look at us. " Vaike laughed.

"Sitting around, laughing like a bunch of jackasses" Gaius chuckled.

The doors to the tavern slammed open, to reveal a very irritated Chrom and Basilio.

Robin felt his gut sink.

This was bad. What would two of the leaders of the Ylissean coalition think when they found their tactician and some of their best men drinking at 10 in the morning?

Chrom slowly walked to their table. "You had us walk around town all morning, only to find..."

Robin prepared for the worst.

"that you guys started without us?! You could've at least told us where we would meet up."

Robin's jaw fell slightly.

"You snooze you lose, Blue." Gaius said casually.

"Some of us still had some stuff to take care of before _you _could enjoy your little vacation." Chrom said.

"And appreciate your endeavors we do. That's why we sought to make the most of every moment." Virion explained.

"Ahh, well, just pass a drink." Chrom said as he sat down.

"Don't forget about me." Basilio said.

"As per our agreement, you all have to match us or face dish duty." Vaike said, passing several mugs towards the the three.

"Gods, how much have you all drank already?"

"I'd say we averaged 4 drinks. Gregor had about 6." Stahl said.

"And the day is still young, so get drinking!" Vaike egged them on.

The three pounded the drinks.

"Alright... what's next?" Chrom asked as he wiped the foam from his mouth.

* * *

><p>The grouped walked over to a small pier along the beach.<p>

"Hmm, fishing? That sounds quite normal." Robin said, lugging around the pole he had rented from a nearby shop.

"Yeah, a real manly thing to do" Vaike said.

"Bwa ha ha. Knowing you, I'm sure drinks are involved, no?" Basilio laughed.

"You guys catch on fast. Same as last time. The ones who don't catch the most fish, drink." Vaike said.

"Heh, I'll have you know Donnel taught me how to fish quite well." Stahl said confidently.

"We're lucky he isn't here." Robin laughed.

"Speaking of which, why _aren't_ the others here?" Chrom asked.

"Donnel's spending the day with Maribelle, Frederick went somewhere with Cherche, Libra went off to the local church, Henry said he was teaching Ricken and Miriel about hexes, and Kellam, well he said he was busy." Stahl said, attaching some bait onto the hook of his fishing pole.

Chrom whipped his head around back and forth.

"What's up with you?" Gaius asked.

"I was just, making sure Kellam isn't actually with us. I feel bad never noticing when he's around. Despite our jokes, he's still a valuable friend of ours." Chrom said.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Kellam's said that he actually takes pride in his little ability." Robin said.

"Oh? Why haven't we ever changed his position to that of reconnaissance? He'd be perfect for the job!" Chrom asked.

"He says he'd rather fight on the frontlines." Robin said.

"You guys done chatting? We're about to start." Vaike said, getting ready to cast his line.

"Alright, let the worst men drink." Lon'qu said as he launched his line into the sea.

_55 minutes later_

"Gregor has this in bag!" he said proudly, looking over his bucket containing over 10 fish.

Virion surprisingly caught 10, saying that fishing happened to be one of his past times.

Stahl was close behind having caught 8.

Lon'qu, Basilio, Gaius and Vaike caught 7, 7, 5 and 4 respectively.

Chrom and Robin were dead last, both catching only 1 fish.

Chrom scratched his head, "Aghh. I was never one for fishing."

"That's right, nobles have other people do the catching for them" Gaius laughed.

Robin stood by quietly. It seems like he wasn't even trying to keep up anymore. His fishing rod had been put away, only keeping a large fishing net out.

Basilio walked over. "What's wrong Robin, giving up already? That just isn't like you." he laughed.

Robin shrugged. "Vaike, how much time have we got left?"

Vaike checked the small hourglass he kept in his bag, "About 1 minute?" he judged by the small amount of sand left.

Robin smiled.

"Whoa, and there he his." Basilio grumbled, wondering what the tactician had planned.

Robin stayed still for a few more seconds then pulled out one of his tomes.

He leaned against the wooden railing and fired an Arcthunder into the water.

Dozens of dead fish floated to the surface.

"T-that's cheating!" Lon'qu growled.

"No, Robin merely use his head." Gregor laughed.

Robin leaned over and scooped up the dead fish into his net. "This is easily over 15, making me the winner," he smirked.

Everyone groaned at the simple, yet legitimate tactic.

"Gah, whatever. I need another drink anyways." Vaike said, packing up.

* * *

><p>The group continued their little pattern throughout the day.<p>

They would hit another tavern, before stumbling back onto the streets for whatever activity Vaike had planned for them.

Notable events included an eating contest, a wrestling match, arm wrestling, and a drunken horse riding contest.

Many in town watched amusedly at the sight of their saviors wandering around town like children.

The group made their way to yet another tavern, and started a game of cards.

**Bar Count: 9**

Chrom sat in his seat, shakily dealing cards to everyone at the table.

Vaike and Lon'qu were struggling to drink another mug of ale, a bet they made.

Gregor was in a daze, staring at the cards and smiling goofily.

Stahl was laughing at a joke Gaius told him, almost slipping out of his seat.

Basilio was taking occasional sips from his mug while leaning an arm against Robin's shoulder.

Robin, was to put it lightly, wasted. He was swaying aimlessly from his seat, a smile plastered on his red face.

"Kayy, what are we playin'" Chrom slurred as he continued to pass out the cards.

Gaius hiccuped. "You, you, you dealt the cards? Ya don't even know what we're playin?" he asked, trying to keep his vision stable.

"Bwa ha ha, I can't even read what cards I've got." Basilio said as he used a hand to keep his head still.

Vaike nearly gagged after he finished his mug. "Ehhh, know what? I don't even carrre. Just happy I'm with yoou guysss." he said in his drunken euphoria.

Chrom laughed as he let the stack of cards fumble out of his hands and scatter onto the table. "I couldn't asssk for a better grooup of frieends." He said leaning against Robin's other shoulder.

"Haha, I'm getting crusshed heree." Robin said, rolling his shoulders to get them off.

"Hey, Blue. What's it liike havin' a wife and kidds?" Gaius said, leaning the side of his face into his hand.

"Huh? It's greeat! You thinkin' of settlin' down with someonee?" Chrom smirked.

"Cordelia, no?" Gregor laughed, as he shook Gaius's shoulder.

"Was it obvious?" Gaius smiled, eyes nearly closed.

"I saw it coming!" Stahl said, raising a hand from his face down position on the table.

"You guys look good together" Robin said, reaching for a small glass of hard liquor.

"Liquor after ale's a good way to throw up your insides, boy." Basilio laughed.

"Hey, you guys dragged me into this. I'm going all the way." Robin said as he downed the drink, grimacing from the bitterness.

Chrom cleared his throat, catching Gaius's attention. "Well, to answer yerr question, having a family's about the greatest joy life can give ya." Chrom said with a smile. "You'd think it's keep you down with all the worryin', but the payoff is just... I love it."

"That decidessss it. I'm gonna propose to her." Gaius said proudly.

Robin clapped. Lon'qu and Chrom reached across the table to pat the thief's shoulder.

"You can't decide something like that while your drunk! So how are you gonna propose?" Vaike said, his drunkenness making him fail to realize the two contradictory sentences he just spat out.

"I dunno. I thought I'd just slip a ring on her finger." Gaius said casually.

"Bwa ha. I'll give you 10,000 bullion if such a proposal ends up working." Basilio laughed.

"Sounds like a bet then." Gaius said as he plopped his feet up on the table. "How's about havin' a daughter from the future? I mean she's almost your age." he asked Chrom.

Chrom leaned back in his seat and gazed at the ceiling. "It's one of the most confusing yet greatest things that's happened to me. I love her. I feel bad for whatever she's gone through without me, so I'm makin' it a point to give her back every moment she's lost..."

"But to be able to pull through all that, she's amazing." Robin said.

Vaike grinned. "Of course _you'd_ think that. After all, you said you'd rather marry her than Tharja. As strange as Tharja is, she's got a quite the body on her."

Gregor pretended to hug himself again.

Robin grabbed a handful of cards from the table and threw them at Vaike, who merely laughed it off.

Chrom turned to Robin.

The rest of the group looked at the two expectantly, waiting for the protective father's reaction.

Chrom grabbed Robin's shoulders. "You better have prefered my daughter to Tharja!"

The rest nearly fell out of their seats.

"Oh, without a doubt." Robin said drunkenly, as Chrom smiled.

"So when you gonna propose?" Basilio asked with a smirk.

"Tomorrow." Robin joked.

"Ho ho, Chrom, what're you gonna doo?" Stahl asked.

"Nothin'. I'd rather she be with Robin than any dastard out there." He said proudly.

Robin was caught by surprise at the answer. "W-whaa? I was joking, Chrom."

"What?! You aren't merely messing around with my daughter are you!? I'll kill you!" Chrom yelled.

"We've only known each other for a little over a week!" Robin defended.

"Takin' it slow, huh? Wow, you must reeeally care for her..." Chrom said with a grin, pulling a complete 180.

Robin tried to comprehend what was going on. "Chrom, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Haha, I don't know. But if you're my son in law, just imagine the stuff I could make you do!" He laughed.

Robin shuddered at the thought, grabbing another glass of liquor.

The barkeeper looked over to the group of drunken idiots and shook his head.

The group went on with their nonsensical chat, the alcohol having completely warped their judgements and thoughts.

* * *

><p>They all woke up the next morning on the tavern floor.<p>

The loser for the day was never decided, as they all figured their tremendous hangovers were punishment enough.

None of them had remembered anything from after their 6th tavern, but judging from the looks and pointed laughs they received as they stumbled to the barracks, maybe it was for the best.

* * *

><p><strong>*EDIT: I've been made aware by a reviewer that I've overlooked the fact that Lon'qu <em>doesn't<em> drink. However, I'll decide to take liberties and leave as is. **

**A/N: A fun chapter for the guys, not unlike the one the girl's had a few chapters back.**

**Kind of showed how alcohol fuels the idiot in all of us if not consumed responsibly.**

**FYI, the final segment when they were trying to play cards was when they were at their worst. ****Chrom obviously wouldn't have handled the Robin/Lucina conversation that well, and may have very well killed him if he was sober :P**

**The grammar mistakes in that segment was also intentional.**

**The fun of them drinking and blacking out was that I could make them say the most ridiculous things without it actually having an impact on the story.**

**Did anyone notice the reference I made to Gaius's S support? Or the Guardians of the Galaxy reference? :P**

**I'm sure you've all noticed that I've edited the chapter titles as well. Makes it much neater than before and you can easily distinguish actual story arcs from stuff I added in. Also take note of the Gintama episode like title I tried to create. (tried)**

**All in all, I've been busy with school so updates are coming in with more time in between.**

**Next chapter won't be as crazy as this one. So don't worry, after the next, the story will shift back into its original gear.**

**Til next time!**


	11. Those Who Sprint Through Life

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: This chapter occurs the same day as the previous one.**

**Those Who Sprint Through Life, Never Grab Hold of**

It was early in the morning, the day after the Ylissean's had defeated the Valmese. The Shepherds had just been given a few days of reprieve from their war

Lucina roamed the surprisingly active streets of Valm's portside town, just as the sun had barely begun to rise. She went off by herself before later meeting up with her mother and the others.

Lucina had no particular goal or business in town, she just needed some time to herself to think. To think of the war, what was left, and of _him._

Like she had earlier predicted, the details of the first two of their battles had completely evaded her. Her knowledge of the future no longer had much credence in this world. It was scary for her. When she had originally journeyed through time, she was well aware of the task ahead of her. However, she found solace in the fact that every important detail in history had already been laid out before her. All she needed to do was introduce the most minute changes here and there, and hopefully the world would run its course, but this time towards a future where humanity still thrived.

She was not so sure anymore. In truth, it scared her. Her 'clairvoyance' had often been a safety blanket for her. No matter how bad things might have seemed, she knew nothing could take her by surprise.

But her actions in the present had changed all of that. She was now walking towards a future uncertain. Into the unknown.

She glanced upon the faces of the town residents as she walked by. A child holding her mother's hand. A man performing on the street. A vendor selling pottery. How had their futures changed because of her? Would they hate her if they knew?

Her thoughts wandered to Robin. He had been on her mind a lot as of late. In only over a week, her stance towards him had gone from moderately hostile, to rather friendly. She feared that she was too trusting to have let him get so close. Her suspicion of him still lingered, but more and more, she was beginning to hope that she was wrong, that he truly wasn't the monster she had feared he would be. At least at this point, he seemed nothing like one.

Her relationship with him was different from any she had previously had. It was the first time she forged such a bond of her own accord. The first _friend_ she had that was not presented to her by circumstance. She was in no way belittling the friendship's she had already formed, but she acknowledged this one's uniqueness to her.

It was something rather new. A friendship where small shows of aggression were never perceived as hostile. One where she was stripped of the persona she tried so hard to wear. She felt naked before him. It was uncomfortable and yet, it relieved her. She felt freedom in her conversations with him. She could act in ways that she previously thought were inappropriate and unbecoming of someone of her standing. She was allowed to be selfish around him. She felt that it was because in many ways, they were a lot alike. He too had his burdens and his own image to keep up. She appreciated the deep talks they had. He freely confided in her of the problems that weighed on his mind. Seeing some of that in herself, she found herself consoling him almost _too_ much.

But what she appreciated most of all with Robin were the times that they could speak at a level where 'titles' or 'reputation' played no part. Times where she wasn't Lucina, the hopeful savior of the world, but simply Lucina. He would often tease her about her insecurities, and she in turn was finding it to be quite thrilling to be able to fluster him herself.

She had once thought herself to be selfish for indulging in such pleasantries with the danger looming ahead, but he had seen through her thoughts and told her that it was okay to do so. Out of all things she was grateful towards the tactician for, that was most likely the one that comforted her the most. That it was okay for her to _live._

She decided that she would still oversee Robin's actions from here on out, but no longer as an accuser. Instead, she would watch over her him as... his friend.

Lucina continued her walk through the bustling town.

The many people on the street would have never even suspected the life of fighting she had been through, for the content smile on her face made her appear as nothing more than a young woman.

* * *

><p>Lucina later arrived at the barracks to meet with her mother.<p>

Sumia was seated at a table with Sully, Cordelia, Olivia, Miriel, Nowi, Cherche and her aunt Lissa.

"Ah, Lucina! We were just talking about you!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Y-you were?" Lucina asked in surprise. She felt rather insecure at the thought of her being the center of attention.

They all smiled at her.

Sumia narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

"What... were you talking about?" Lucina asked a bit nervously.

The woman all let out a laugh.

Lissa snorted with laughter. "Ha, I was just kidding. You should have seen how you looked! You aren't hiding anything are you?" she asked.

"No... I am not." Lucina said confidently.

"Where were you?" Sumia asked as she got up to hug her daughter.

"I was just in town." Lucina explained.

"My, perhaps she was meeting with a man." Cherche teased.

"N-no! I merely needed time to reflect upon our journey."

"Oh, we're all joking, dear. I'm sorry." Cherche giggled.

"It's fine." Lucina smiled.

"Yeah, after all, she only admires guys who are _different_," Nowi said smugly.

Lucina flushed, looking down to hide her face with her bangs. She could feel the stares she was receiving. 'w-what is she saying?!' Lucina mentally panicked.

"She does!?" Sumia asked excitedly, leaning in towards Nowi, who she thought might've had some very juicy information.

"I'm just joking!" Nowi said cheerfully.

Sumia dropped her head. The women all laughed at the mother's disappointment.

While everyone was occupied with Sumia, Lucina caught sight of Nowi smirking mischievously at her.

This was not good.

It appeared that Nowi wouldn't let her get away with it quite yet. Until then, Lucina feared what possible trouble she would get into trying to keep the manakate from spreading such slanderous rumors.

"Well, what have you all got planned for today?" Sumia asked.

"Frederick's asked me to teach him my family's signature fighting style. We'll be out training in a little while." Cherche said.

"Training? But it's our day off." Cordelia said.

"Sounds more like a date to me." Lissa laughed.

Cherche blushed. "Oh, hush." she said, waving a hand.

"Ricken and I also have some training to do. We have Henry to thank for that. He will be instructing us in the art of Dark Magic." Mirel said.

"Henry, huh? I'm not too sure about the guy. He seems a bit too friendly if you ask me. And he did work for Plegia." Sully reasoned.

"I assure you, as frightening as he may seem, I've yet to observe a hair on him that would indicate any malicious intentions towards us." Miriel stated.

"Really?" Sully asked.

"I too can confirm his innocence." Lucina said.

"Hmm. Well if she says it's fine, I've really got no say then." Sully concluded.

Olivia nodded her head enthusiastically.

Cordelia saw this and decided to poke some fun. "Isn't that wonderful news, Olivia?"

Olivia turned red and looked down.

They all laughed at the dancer's bashfulness.

"Maribelle's left me all alone to go hang out with Donnel, and Lon'qu's off doing gods know what with the other guys." Lissa whined.

"That's right. I heard they're having a 'guy's day'." Sumia laughed.

"I wonder what they're up to." Cordelia said thoughtfully.

"Hah, something extremely stupid, no doubt." Sully snorted.

"Well, let's let the men be men for a day." Cherche said.

"Cordelia, I've heard that they've got the nicest little bookstore in town." Sumia said.

"Really? I wouldn't mind picking up something new to read myself." Cordelia said.

"Right! Let's get ready. Who else wants to come?" Sumia aked.

"I'll join you." Sully said.

"Me too." Olivia added.

"Lucina? Do you want to come along?" Sumia asked.

She was about to respond, but saw Nowi mouthing something to her with an evil smile. 'You're coming with me' her lips read.

Lucina grit her teeth. "S-sorry, I've got something I need to do... I promise I'll meet up with you afterwards." she said.

"Oh, okay then. Be safe!" Sumia said.

The girls went their separate ways for the time being, getting ready for the day.

* * *

><p>Lucina and Nowi were standing in the now empty barracks.<p>

"Nowi, what are you doing? That wasn't right for you to twist my words like that." Lucina said, arms crossed.

Nowi pouted. "Ahh, I'm sorry. Ricken's off studying and I just wanted someone to play with today. I promise if you hang out with me, I'll never bring it up again." she offered.

Lucina sighed. She was well aware of the girl, err woman's childish antics. She's changed little from how she was in the future.

"Fine..." she said, looking to severe the hold the dragon girl had on her.

"Alright! I've got a lot of fun stuff planned for us!" Nowi cheered.

Lucina got ready for the worst.

* * *

><p>"Why did you take us to a tavern this early in the morning!?" Lucina asked incredulously<p>

"Oh, pipe down, princess. How else are we going to spy on them?" Nowi asked.

"Spy? On who?" Lucina asked.

Right on cue, 7 male Shepherds exited the bar.

"No, this is wrong." Lucina said.

"Come on, it's like a game! If we get caught we lose!" Nowi said excitedly. "Besides, you promised me."

Lucina rubbed her temple. There was no getting out of this.

"Fine, but only for a little. I also promised my mother that I'd meet with her later."

"Alrighty. Let's hurry, they're already headed out!" Nowi said as she followed the group, making sure to stay hidden behind various walls and stands on her way.

Lucina felt ridiculous as she followed, crouching behind cover along with the small woman.

They followed them up the street. They saw Virion walk up to a brunette girl selling flowers.

"Hmm, I wonder what they're doing." Nowi said.

They then saw Virion get slapped across the face.

Nowi doubled over in laughter.

Lucina jumped at the suddenness, but couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Gregor went up to a blonde haired girl. He said something that cause her to immediate flee.

Nowi laughed yet again. "I think they're trying to flirt with girls!" she choked out.

Lucina tried to hold back a laugh with her hand.

They continued to watch in amusement as the men struggle and failed to capture the attention of the various women they went after.

Finally, it appeared it was Robin's turn. He went up to a rather beautiful girl sitting on a bench.

"Oooh, you jealous?" Nowi laughed evilly to Lucina.

On the contrary, Lucina was watching intently, a smirk plastered on her face.

Robin chatted up the girl. The girl immediately took notice, on offered him an awkward smile.

Robin seemed uncomfortable, kicking his foot at the side of the bench.

After a little small talk, he eventually turned around and left the girl.

"Hahaha! Lame!" Nowi laughed.

Lucina giggled. 'Heh, wait until he hears about this...' she thought mischievously. The feeling of having such ammunition against the occasionally snide man made her feel quite naughty. At the same time, it was thrilling.

"Seems like you're having some fun yourself." Nowi said happily.

Lucina turned red. Not too long ago she had admonished the manakate for attempting to snoop, yet here she was now, taking delight at her fellow Shepherds' misfortunes.

"Well... I'd be lying If I were to say it wasn't a bit... funny." Lucina smiled.

Nowi beamed at her.

They continued their pursuit only to find the men heading to another tavern.

"Aww. Looks like our fun with them is over." Nowi pouted.

"Seems like it." Lucina, a tiny bit disappointed herself.

"No worries! I've got something else for us to do!" Nowi said.

* * *

><p>The two were at small park at the center of the city.<p>

Nowi insisted on playing with the other children.

Despite her refusal, Lucina found herself dragged into a game of hide and seek.

She had been hiding with Nowi in two empty barrels near the water fountain.

They were eventually found out and proceeded to run from the laughing children.

Lucina sat on a nearby bench, catching her breath. Training was one thing, but playing with children had absolutely drained her. She admitted that she did enjoy the small break from the war.

The game reminded her much of the days she played with her own friends. She remembered being very good at hide and seek, going as far as to once claimed that she was the number one 'hider' in Ylissestol. Not only had she expertly evaded her friends at the game, but also her parents during bedtime.

Lucina rubbed her cheeks in embarrassment of her younger self.

She looked up to see two young boys, no older than 10, walk up to her.

One of the boys was giggling, the other's face tinged red, hands behind his back.

"Hello there." Lucina said, softly smiling.

The flushing boy walked up and shuffled his feet a bit.

Lucina cocked her head, wondering what was bothering him.

The boy pulled his arms in front of him and held out a small daisy to the princess.

Lucina was taken back by the gesture, but softly took the daisy into her hands.

She smiled and patted the boy's head. "Thank you. It's very lovely." she said.

The boy's redness increased tenfold.

"Ha! He likes you!" the boy's friend sneered as he ran off.

The boy quickly turned around and chased after his laughing friend.

Lucina giggled. She found it rather cute.

"Aww, looks like you've got a boyfriend." Nowi laughed as she walked over, plucking grass from her hair.

Lucina smiled. "Thank you, Nowi. This has been surprisingly... fun." she said.

Nowi smiled back. "Does this mean you'll play with me more often?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure, if I have the time that is." Lucina said.

Nowi hugged the princess, who patted her head.

After a few more games of hide and seek with the children, the two went back to the barracks to head their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Lucina had spent the remainder of the day with her mother and friends, reading their newly bought books at a local cafe.<p>

When her father and the other men hadn't returned for the night, her mother was consumed with worry, but was calmed down by Sully saying that they were all probably getting piss drunk somewhere.

Lucina smiled at how right Sully probably was.

Lucina had just finished showering, and was now getting ready to get into the cot across from her mother.

"Did you have fun today, dear?" Sumia asked as she kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Yes, it was quite eventful." she said.

"You've no idea how happy I am to hear that. If anyone deserves a day off, it's you." she said, hugging her daughter. "I heard you spent the morning with Nowi? That's a surprise! I'm glad you're feeling at home with the Shepherds. They're your family too after all."

"Yes, they've always been." Lucina smiled, hugging her back.

"I was worried. You seemed a bit... awkward when speaking to them at first." Sumia said. She was right on target.

Lucina felt a tiny pang of guilt. It seemed her mother had taken notice of the small distance she had been keeping between herself and the others. But she was proud that she had begun to close that gap little by little.

"Why the sudden change?" Sumia asked.

"Umm... Robin managed to convince me that... closing myself off was unhealthy." she said slowly.

Sumia inwardly smirked. 'It's all falling into place...' she thought.

"Mother? Is something wrong? You look a bit strange."

Sumia was snapped out of her fantasies. "Oh, it's nothing, dear. I'm just happy that you're finally getting along with Robin. He's a dear friend to all of us."

"Yes, he's a friend of mine as well." Lucina said.

The two chatted for a while longer before finally heading to bed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Lucina was treated to the sight of her 'friend' and her father passed out against the door of the barracks.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: To add to that ending, the guys came back from the tavern early in the morning, and crawled back to the barracks. Due to their immense hangover and still feeling the effects of the alcohol, they had all passed out yet again outside the barracks.**

**I just wanted to end the the chapter with Lucina finding them, so I left the explanation for the A/N.**

**A nice little Lucina centric chapter that goes along with the previous one. Bet you thought Lucina would overhear Robin huh? U MAD? :P**

**Say'ri was left out because she had, well, business.**

**The Shepherds have one free day left. For some fun, I've decided that I'll take up suggestions on what the final chapter for this 'fun segment' should be about before I move on with the story. Want Henry spillin' blood? Or maybe Stahl getting that beating from Sully he asked for? Leave your suggestions and I'll try to combine them into a single chaotic day. However, I advise to stray away from anything that would speed up Lucina/Robin _too _much. Leave your suggestions! I'll need at the least 3 before I began working on it.**

**Til next time.**


	12. Caws and Effect

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTER BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: Thanks for suggestions! Oddly enough, this isn't as _light_ _hearted_ as I had intended. I tried to mash your suggestions into a single story that made _some_ sort of sense. Being that I made all the ideas connect rather than it being episodic, it might have not _exactly _been what you hoped for, but what you wanted nonetheless. Hope you enjoy!**

**Caws and Effect**

Robin woke up to one of the largest headaches he's ever experienced. He lifted his head off of the drool soaked pillow, and realized that he had been carried inside.

His memories were a haze. The last thing he had remembered was crawling towards the door of the barracks before the break of dawn.

He pressed a hand to his pulsating head, as if trying to calm it down.

As he got up, he noticed an odd sensation coursing through his body. He did a bit of hopping, believing it to be just numbness from sleeping in an odd position.

Alas, the feeling had still persisted, but Robin had just decided to pass it off as one of many effects of his night of debauchery.

Robin peered out the window. Judging by the sun's position, it must have been around noon.

He made his way towards the sink, this time leaning his entire head under the stream of cool liquid.

He shook off the water. Given the state he was in, he could care less about any mess he might have made.

As he wiped off any excess wetness with the sleeves of his shirt, he heard a loud crash coming from the room over and headed over to see what had caused the racket.

He opened the door to find Vaike face down on top of the table. Stahl, Miriel and Chrom were pinning him down.

Broken plates littered the floor.

Robin's eyes narrowed ."You know what, I don't want to do this right now," he groaned as he turned around to leave. He really didn't feel like putting up with anymore of Vaike's antics after last night.

"Robin! Shut up and get over here! He's crazed!" Chrom yelled, his arms pressed down against Vaike's back.

Robin jogged over and held down the blonde man's shoulders.

"What's wrong with him?" Robin asked, struggling to maintain his pressure on Vaike, who had every intention of escaping his captors.

"I'll tell you after we get him tied up or something," Chrom said.

"Let me take care of this," Miriel said. She released her hold on Vaike and hopped on the table and onto his back. She reached for her tome.

"Are you crazy? You can't use your tome in here!" Chrom yelled.

Miriel adjusted her hold on the tome. "I beg to differ," she said as she slammed the book's spine hard into the back of Vaike's head.

The man ceased his flailing and went limp on the tabletop.

Stahl tore off a length of rope from one of the barrels in the corner of the room and proceeded to bind Vaike's limbs.

"Don't tell me he's still drunk..." Robin said in annoyance.

Chrom immediately grabbed the Robin by the shoulders. "Robin, are you feeling okay? You don't notice anything strange do you?" Chrom asked fervently.

Robin swatted away his friend's hands. "All I'm feeling is one hell of a hangover, if you must know. Now, you mind telling me what's going on?" Robin said impatiently.

"You see, it seems that a number of us Shepherds have been afflicted by some type of hex." Chrom explained.

Robin immediately dropped the attitude. "Hex!? Wait... was it the Valmese? I thought we had all of them subdued! What about the others?! Are they safe?" Robin spoke in panic.

"Easy there, friend. Though the situation is... bad, I can assure you that it wasn't the enemy's doing." Chrom said, looking over to Miriel.

"...It was Henry's spell. Ricken and myself are to blame to be more specific." Miriel said, closing her eyes in shame.

Robin calmed down a bit. "Okay. Would you care to elaborate?" he asked.

"Yesterday... Henry was teaching Ricken and I about the intricacies of dark magic. We began by reading through one of his books. After brushing up on the basics and theories of dark magic, we had Henry devise a trial run for us." Miriel explained.

"Your practice was aimed at us!?" Robin said in disbelief.

Miriel shook her head. "At first, he had us practice casting elementary spells, such as Flux, on dummies in the training ground. We made great strides in little time. We then asked him if he knew of any support type spells. Ones that would augment our comrade's stamina, strength and the like. He showed us a book containing a bevy of such spells, even demonstrating a few on us. Feeling their effects, Ricken and I sought to replicate some of them ourselves."

Robin gestured for her to continue.

"As I sifted through the grimoire, I came across a type of spell that could be cast upon dwellings. It would promote speedy recovery from any ailment; sores, bruises, cuts, migraines," she said.

"Heh, judging by the raging headache I still have, I believe it's safe to assume you two failed." Robin said.

"...Yes. Henry told us, it being a more advance spell, that he would be the one to perform it, but we would see to setting it up. Unfortunately, it seemed that we made a slight error somewhere along the way. Rather than a healing spell, we made him cast a hex by mistake. We only came to know of its true nature this morning."

"Are you sure that Henry hadn't done this intentionally?" Chrom asked. He himself wasn't suspicious of the young mage, but as their leader, he had to be thorough in exhausting all possibilities.

"I reviewed the text after the first incident this morning. I can confirm that the spell's intentions were what he claimed them to be. Henry is innocent. It was we that made the error. I... sincerely apologize... for any trouble I may have caused," Miriel said, eyes cast down.

Robin walked up and patted her shoulder. "It's... alright. We'll think of something. It was an accident right?" Robin said with a soft smile, trying to ease her guilt a little.

"Thank you. I will work tirelessly to make amends." Miriel said gratefully.

Robin nodded. "By the way, what did the hex do exactly?" he asked.

Deciding that Miriel was already taking it hard, Chrom spoke up for her. "From what we've seen, its effects vary from person to person. Not everyone afflicted acted as violently as Vaike, Cordelia was just in a state of confusion. On the bright side, since it was a failed attempt rather than successful one, Tharja told us that the hex's potency was severely reduced. Not everyone was hit by its effects."

"Who has it gotten to?" Robin asked.

"So far, Virion, Libra, Cordelia and Vaike." Chrom said.

"So far? You mean to say that its effects manifest over time?" Robin asked.

"That's right, hence why I asked if you were feeling alright." Chrom said.

"...Sorry about that," Robin said sheepishly. "Then the first thing we need to do is locate everyone and make sure they're contained. Afterwards, we can focus on dispelling the hex."

Having secured Vaike, they set him down on one of the cots and bound him further, just in case.

* * *

><p>They went around to round up the Shepherds and anyone else who stayed the night at the bewitched barracks.<p>

They were all crowded outside, those that had been afflicted were secured inside.

After a quick head count, only Henry, Olivia, Gaius, and Lon'qu were missing.

The group was on edge over the situation, some of them unaware why there friends were in such a state.

Chrom did a brief recap of the events.

"Boy, I really hope I'm still drunk and I'm just mishearing things when you say I slept in a haunted cabin." Basilio muttered in disbelief.

"It's hexed, not haunted, you buffoon." Flavia huffed.

"H-how do we fix this?" Sumia asked.

"Where's everybody else?" Donnel asked.

"I heard this was Henry's fault! Maybe that's why he isn't here!" Sully cried.

"Sully! How could you say that?" Sumia gasped.

"Oh come on. You're telling me that he's never struck any of you as even a little odd? And he specializes in dark magic for crying out loud!" Sully retorted.

"HEY! Settle down!" Robin yelled over the restless crowd.

The group was shocked at their Tactician's outburst and ceased their babbling.

Robin cleared his throat. "First thing I would like to get out of the way is that this was _not_ Henry's fault. It was nothing more than a freak accident. Sure, he's new and his past is very questionable, but do I need to remind you that I too was the same?" he said firmly.

Sully looked down, clenching her fist.

"Second, this hex doesn't affect everyone. So far, those who it has have been safely contained inside. Third, like some of you may have noticed, 4 of us are currently missing. We need to split up and find them immediately. If they happen to be under the hex's influence, the last thing we want is them getting themselves or the townspeople hurt. Finally, mages, I want you to find a way to fix this." Robin concluded.

"It's no use." Tharja spoke.

"Explain." Robin said.

"...This spell, though a fluke, is very complex. It's beyond anything our mages have dealt with... myself included." Tharja said grudgingly.

"Wait, I thought you were an expert in this field." Chrom said.

"Heh... You flatter me, prince... While I do take pride in my mastery of the dark arts, there's someone among us who's... better." Tharja said.

"Who?" Robin asked.

"The one who cast it. Henry." Tharja explained.

"But you said this spell was a fluke. I can understand your reasoning, but if Henry didn't know what he had done, how would he fix it?" Robin asked.

"So you really haven't heard of him before?" Tharja asked.

Robin raised a brow.

" 'The Silver Haired Boy with Great Sorcery'. He's quite famous... or infamous in Plegia. Don't let his age fool you. He's supposed to be some kind of genius or something..." Tharja said.

A few in the crowd raised their own brows, surprised to learn such a man was in their ranks.

"So you're saying Henry can fix this? I'll go find him. All of you split into groups and look for the others."

Some stayed back to look after those inside. The rest scrambled into 3 parties and headed out.

Robin who had went inside to grab his gear, had finally left, making his way into town.

As he jogged through the streets, he felt someone had been trailing him for the last 2 blocks.

He spun around to find Lucina right behind him.

He stopped. "What are you doing? You were supposed to go with the others." he said.

"Why is it that only _you_ get to go after Henry?" she asked.

"They're panicked. Their friends are sick and despite my pleas, they've already got the idea in their heads that Henry was to blame. The last thing I want is for them to hurt him over a misunderstanding. " Robin explained.

"I knew Henry in the Future. I'm well aware that he would never do this." she confirmed.

Robin looked at her, unsure.

"Besides, if Henry himself is afflicted by the hex and he goes through what happened to Vaike, I'm sure you wouldn't want to be caught alone with him." Lucina reasoned.

Robin sighed. "Fine. Let's hurry."

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere across a town<em>

"Gah! Clear out! They're insane!" a man yelled.

The crowd dispersed from the commotion in the center of the street.

A certain Feroxi Myrmidon and sweet toothed thief were currently embroiled in a fierce showdown.

"Idiot! I order you to cease this nonsense immediately!" Lon'qu growled as he got up from the floor.

Gaius walked through the remains of the vegetable stand he had just thrown the Myrmidon through. His eyes bore into Lon'qu.

"Y-y-you're not getting away fr-from me! This could be the biggest score ever!" Gaius yelled, pointing his blade towards his fellow Shepherd.

Lon'qu raised his Killing edge. He gazed upon his friend's face and noticed something was off. His eyes showed not anger, nor contempt. 'Doesn't look like I've pissed him off... Rather he looks... hungry?' Lon'qu thought as he leapt back from Gaius, who had just swiped at him.

Gaius flipped into the air and struck down at Lon'qu once again.

Lon'qu lifted his blade to block and held it up with both hands.

Gaius's blade crashed down onto his Killing Edge.

"W-why ya playing hard to get? I just want to have some fun!" Gaius said, almost drooling.

"Imbecile!" Lon'qu spat, as he kicked Gaius in the chest, sending him flying back.

It did little to stop the thief, who had instantly regained his footing from the flight. Gaius charged at Lon'qu again, unleashing a storm of slashes.

Lon'qu backed up steadily, repelling the strikes.

Lon'qu's quick judgement had decided that this was not the Gaius he knew. This one's fighting style was sloppy and unrefined. He was berserk.

He decided he had enough of playing on defense. Lon'qu rolled to the side, immediately spinning back towards Gaius. He flipped his blade around to its dull back side. That way, he could fight back without inflicting any mortal wounds on his crazed friend.

Lon'qu parried an incoming slash and struck Gaius across the chest with his dull edge.

Gaius coughed as it slammed into his chest.

"Gaius! What's come over you?" Lon'qu asked.

Gaius looked up and smiled. "Awesome... I-i-it even knows my name! Yo-you've got to be the greatest chocolate bar ever!" he wailed in delight.

Lon'qu's jaw slacked, almost dropping his blade. "You... dumbass! Is that what this is about!? " he fumed.

"That's right, it's all about you and me..." Gaius said as he lunged forward once again.

Lon'qu sidestepped and spun as he slammed the back of his blade into Gaius's back.

Gaius fell forward into a roll. As he rolled onto his feet, he jumped forward and kicked off of a wall, leaping into the air while turning back towards Lon'qu.

The speed of Gaius's recovery allowed him a slash into the side of Lon'qu's shoulder.

Lon'qu punched the man in the gut, sending him on his back.

Gaius reached for his sword then got back onto his feet. He dashed for the Myrmidon.

But before he could reach Lon'qu, the side of his head was struck by hard pouch of bullion.

Gaius and the pouch fell to the floor, the coins rolling across the pavement.

Lon'qu looked to the side to see Sully stretching her arm. Stahl and Kellam were with her.

"Not bad, eh?" she grinned.

"Indeed." Lon'qu said, sheathing his blade. "Care to fill me in on what exactly... that is!?" he asked, pointing to the unconscious Gaius, drooling on the floor.

Stahl chuckled. "Long story short, some of us were accidently hexed."

"You don't say. That would explain why he thought I was... candy." Lon'qu said irritably.

Kellam and Sully let out a laugh.

"Oh, man. Can't wait to tell him as soon as he comes to." Sully said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Whatever, let's just get him back." Lon'qu said.

Stahl picked the thief up and carried him over his shoulder as they made way back to the barracks.

* * *

><p><em>Along the beach<em>

"Gee, sure is nice out today." Henry said happily as he strolled along the shore.

"Y-yes, it sure is." Olivia said. She blushed as she stole glances at the silver haired mage beside her.

"So what you feel like doing? I hope there's another dog around! Ooh, ooh, maybe they'll let us adopt one this time!" Henry said excitedly.

"...Actually, I was hoping we could try it again..." Olivia said nervously.

"What? You mean trying to 'express' myself? Well what the hex, we've got nothing better to do anyways." Henry said, stopping.

Olivia nodded before turning her lips downwards. "Uhh... when you're sad, you go like this.."

Henry cocked his head before trying it himself. "Rike dis?" he asked, pulling the sides of his mouth down.

Olivia shook her head. "N-nope. Try again, this time without your hands."

Henry removed his hands and attempted yet again. It looked more like a downwards grin than a frown.

"No, you have to mean it." Olivia explained.

Henry groaned, as he let himself fall back onto the sand.

"You're giving up too early!" Olivia said in frustration. "Life's like dancing. You can't just mimic the moves, you have to feel them! If you can't even laugh or cry from the heart..."

"You compare everything to dancing. It's hilarious! " Henry laughed.

Olivia pouted as she laid down beside him on the sand. "It's not funny Henry! I'm trying to help you out here... so don't act like it's someone else's problem..." she said, looking up at the sky.

Henry turned his head to her. "Thanks for being considerate of me like this. It's just.. I don't quite understand this expressing emotions thing. I mean, is it really bad to smile all the time?" he asked.

Olivia turned to face him. "Yes, it is! If you smile all the time, how can you tell when you're being sincere? Ho- unghh... Aghh.." Olivia had curled up into a ball and was clutching her chest.

Henry sat up and poked her back. "Hey, Oliva? W-what game is that?"

"Urghh.. Ungggh." she moaned in pain, wincing.

"Olivia! What's wrong?!" Henry yelled as he lifted her up onto his lap.

"Ughh.. My chest... it's... crushing me... Can't breathe..." she said, tears streaming down her face.

"...It's a curse... I know, hold on just a second!" he said as he got up.

He circled around her, tracing a pattern into the sand with his foot.

After it was complete, he slammed a hand down onto the sigil.

Nothing.

"Come on!" Henry yelled, repeatedly slapping the circle.

Still nothing.

Olivia rolled over to face Henry.

"O-Olivia!?"

She reached her hand out, but it fell before it could meet him.

Henry grasped her hand as he scooted closer. "Olivia... No! Y-you can't die! ...Please don't die..." he said. Unbeknownst to him, his grin had faded in place of a quivering frown.

His hand trembled as he gripped hers tightly.

Olivia's eyes slowly began to shut, the oxygen in her lungs depleted.

Suddenly, the sigil flashed with a white light, and Olivia gasped.

The force on her chest had been expelled. She shot up and panted, catching her breath.

Henry immediately threw his arms around the pink haired dancer and squeezed her close to him

"H-Henry?" Olivia stutterd, red as an Elfire tome.

"It worked! Thank goodness, huh?" he yelled with joy, his usual smile had returned.

Olivia, feeling a bit daring, deepened the hug. "...At least you were able to show me your feelings.."

Henry looked down in confusion. "...I did." he said, realizing.

"Thank you... for saving me." she said as she nuzzled against him.

Henry laughed as he rubbed her head.

A distance away, two figures stood atop the pier watching the couple.

Lucina smiled sweetly at the two.

Robin smirked "Wow, princess, didn't know you were the romantic type."

Lucina narrowed her eyes, "Well _I know for sure_ that you aren't. Do you even know how to talk to a girl?" she said slyly.

Robin's eyes widened. 'No... She didn't see that...' he thought.

"As much as I'd love to see you squirm about your insecurities, we need to get Henry to fix this." Lucina said.

"Yes, ma'am"

Lucina could've sworn that she was with Donnel for a second, but dismissed the thought.

They headed down onto the sand, towards the two.

Olivia immediately broke the hug as soon as she saw them approaching.

"There has been an incident," Lucina started. "Henry, you cast a hex on the barracks yesterday... Several of us were hit."

Henry's eyes almost widened. "Me? I don't remember doing anything like that!"

"Don't worry, it was an accident. Miriel said that she and Ricken had made an error in preparing the spell. You merely cast it." Robin said.

Henry looked down guiltily. Normally he would have just laughed it off, but knowing that it was he that had hurt Olivia...

Henry got up, dusting his robe. "Don't worry! I'll fix this!" he said as he ran back to the others.

Olivia got up and chased after him.

"Those two, huh? I must say, it happened quite... fast." Robin said.

"But I'm happy it did." Lucina stated.

Robin looked to her. "So... those two were together in the future?" he asked.

Lucina nodded. "Their son was among the friends I grew up with."

Robin did a mental equation on what a child with both Olivia and Henry's qualities would be like. He was stumped. 'E-e-excuse me? ...M-may I please hex your blood?' he pictured the mystery child saying.

Robin thought it best not to linger on the subject.

"Let's get back." Lucina said walking ahead.

Robin followed.

As they walked through town, Robin felt the odd sensation from this morning surge through him. His head pulsed.

Lucina walked until she noticed the footsteps behind her had stopped.

She turned around to see Robin staring at the floor. "Robin? Did we forget something?" she asked.

Robin's gaze remained fixed on the ground.

"Robin."

Robin slowly looked up, face flushed.

"What happened? Are you feeling well?" she asked.

"You're so... beautiful..." he said as he looked at her, lovestruck.

Lucina deadpanned. If she hadn't known better, all earned respect for the tactician would have been out the window.

Robin walked closer and threw his arms around her.

Lucina struggled in his grip.

She moved her face away from his, which was inching closer by the second.

"Tell me... what's your name?" he asked in a daze, his forehead pressed against hers.

He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss the princess.

Lucina jerked her head back and headbutted him. As soon as his hold on her was released, she punched him hard in the gut.

Air jetted from his mouth as he crumpled forward against Lucina.

Lucina caught her friend, struggling to keep him from falling down. 'I figured that was the problem...' she thought bitterly.

She turned around and lifted him onto her back, carrying the passed out tactician piggyback to the barracks.

* * *

><p>Henry counted over the various materials on the table.<p>

The Shepherds and Khans were inside the barracks, as they needed to be inside the affected area as the hex was lifted in order to rid themselves of it.

"Why do we need all this?" Ricken asked Henry. "Olivia said you cured her at the beach with only a magic seal."

Henry shook his head. "That was only a temporary fix. It would have cured her if the hex's purpose was only to rob its victim of their air. Turns out that this one's effects are random." he said in a hurry.

Ricken nodded.

The doors to the barracks opened, revealing Lucina carrying Robin inside.

Chrom rushed over. "No.. Him too?" he groaned. "Lucina, you aren't hurt are you?" He asked as he rubbed his daughter's cheek.

"No, father. The spell that hit him was more... amusing than dangerous." she smirked.

Chrom decided not to pursue the meaning behind his daughter's sinister smile, as he picked up Robin and set him down on a cot.

"Is this all that is required?" Miriel asked, as she double checked the materials on the table from what the book said.

"This is all of it... except for one..." Henry said slowly.

"What else do we need?" Miriel asked.

"A particular plant. But it only grows in the deserts of Plegia..." Henry said.

Chrom overheard. "Plegia!? How the hell are we going to get that?" he yelled.

Henry looked down. "Don't worry. I can still do it," he said as he looked up to grin at Chrom.

Chrom sighed. There was no other choice but to trust the mage.

After going over the materials, Henry decided that he was ready to begin the ritual.

He told everyone to stand back as he cut up the ingredients and meticulously placed them at the center of the tabletop.

Henry pulled out a knife and carve 3 circles around the materials. He inscribed a few symbols between the rings.

He then pricked his thumb with the knife, dotting the pattern with spots of his own blood.

Pulling out a small piece of paper, he quickly ran outside to light it on the bonfire in the yard.

He hurried back inside and lowered the flame to material at the center of the seal.

The material were swallowed by a purple flame, and as they shriveled to dust, a shockwave coursed through the barrack.

Oddly enough, the only things affected by the wave were Henry, who was thrown back, and a few shattered windows.

Ricken and Miriel rushed over to help Henry up.

One by one, those afflicted began to snap out of their state. Those knocked out, woke up.

Chrom headed over to the mages. "Is it done? You got rid of the hex?" he asked.

Henry grinned. "Yes and no. Although everyone's cured, I couldn't get rid of that hex, so I just replaced it with the one we were supposed to cast."

Everyone gathered around the mage.

"You said we lacked one ingredient. I assume you substituted it for something else?" Miriel asked.

Henry laughed. "Nya ha, that's right. Since we couldn't get the plant, I used my own life instead! About 3 whole years probably!"

Everyone gasped.

"Henry! How could you do that to yourself?" Chrom asked

"Hmm? It was my fault to begin with," he said casually.

Miriel spoke up, "No Henry, it wasn't. It was ours."

"No it wasn't lady, I'm the one that let you make the mistake. It's my fault" he said.

"But to give away years of your life..." Sully said guiltily.

"Hah, well listen up because I'm only saying this once," Henry said. "I've never had a group of friends quite like you guys. Heck I've never had much friends! That's why I can't just go and let you die on me. Besides, if anyone's going to die a glorious death, it's me!" he said happily.

Everyone was taken back by the mages words.

"That's right Henry, we're you friends." Chrom said, smiling.

The Shepherds slowly closed in on him, pulling him into a large group hug.

"H-hey? What's the big idea?" Henry said, as he squirmed in their grip. "If you don't let go, things are gonna get bloody!" he cried.

* * *

><p>The morning after the hectic day, the Ylisseans were preparing to leave town and continue their march.<p>

Many of the townspeople gathered at their encampment, leaving behind thousands of flowers in thanks.

The Shepherds stood outside proudly, accepting the gifts.

Chrom explained to the townspeople of what had happened earlier with Gaius and Lon'qu. Fortunately they all laughed it off, saying no one was hurt.

The boy from yesterday presented Lucina with a large bouquet this time around. Lucina kissed the top of the child's head before he disappeared back into the crowd, blushing like crazy.

Robin received a surprising amount of flowers from many young women. They said something about overhearing that he was indeed single.

Robin glared at Vaike, knowing something must've happened during their day of intoxication.

Even the girl that Robin had attempted to hit on the previous day had come up to give him a warm hug.

Lucina walked up to grab the arm full of flowers from Robin to set them over with the rest. "You're lucky you're a hero..." she muttered as she walked away.

Robin didn't know what she meant.

After one final feast, the Ylissean forces departed the town, headed towards whatever dangers loomed ahead of them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Woo! It's over! I had a load of fun mashing your ideas into one story.**

**Let me run through the list:**

**Death-Prince-3****- As you can see, your idea played a large role in the plot of this chapter, yours being the first suggestion and all. Rather than just Robin, I made several people targets in order to accommodate the other requests.**

**ShadowRogue****- You've got your small fight between the two. Granted it wasn't a true fight with Gaius all crazed and what not, but I definately plan on making a 'true' rematch later on! If it makes it better, Lon'qu technically killed Gaius 'twice' during the fight, had he not used the back of his blade.**

**LuminaDawn****- You've got your Henry/Olivia moments here! I even incorporated their A Support in this chapter! Not to mention Henry being warmly welcomed among the Shepherds.**

**Ventrust Westwind****- You got your flowers ending, complete with super pimp Robin. I made Lucina poke fun at Robin earlier in the chapter. For the record, at the end, she wasn't jealous Robin was receiving the attention. Instead she was annoyed that she wouldn't be able to jab at him for failing to woo the girls.**

**Let me say something about the Henry/Olivia moment here. As you can tell, I changed the dynamic of their support conversation away from their English translation and made it so that Henry really was smiling because he couldn't express anything else. Before anyone spears me for this, I'd like to say that in the 'original' Japanese support, Olivia was in fact correct about Henry's problem. I chose this route as I genuinely like Olivia, and her English support kind of made her to be a controlling jerk. Plus, it makes their relationship all the more endearing.**

**Regarding the various embarrassing things that happened to the Shepherds, I fully intend to reference and make jokes about them in the future. (Especially Gaius and Robin)**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was fun to write!**

**Next chapter... Future Children?! or Mila Tree? or..**

**Til next time!**


	13. Sage's Hamlet 1

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO**

**Sage's Hamlet 1**

Hundreds of Resistance from the western branch had flocked to the newly liberated Valm Harbor in order to handle the defeated Valmese soldiers, as the Ylisseans moved inland.

As per Say'ri's suggestion, they sought to free the one called 'Lady Tiki', more commonly known as the Voice, from captivity. The Voice was worshipped throughout Valm as Naga's oracle. An important religious figure such as herself was seen as a threat to Walhart's empire, who many claimed that he believed had no place for gods. This resulted in her imprisonment atop the colossal Divine Mila Tree.

Say'ri claimed that if the Voice were to be freed, it would give the Resistance someone to rally around. With Walhart's forces revealed to be in the millions, the Ylisseans needed all the assistance they could find.

The journey there from Valm Harbor was a troublesome one. Scouting parties had confirmed a massive Valmese presence in the area surrounding the great tree. All main roads were under heavy surveillance.

Anna, well versed in traveling being a nomadic merchant, informed them of a few less traveled routes to the Mila Tree that eluded the Valmese's watchful eyes. Looking to avoid any fighting before arriving to the battlefield, the Ylisseans split their forces into 3 groups.

Basilio took half of their forces and would arrive at the tree from the north.

Flavia took the remaining half and would travel through the mountains parallel to the main road, arriving from the east.

The final passage proved difficult for an entire army to cross, resulting in the Shepherds, along with Say'ri to travel it alone. They would head south from Valm Harbor, crossing a massive lake to join up from the south-east.

* * *

><p>2 days had gone by since the Shepherds had departed from the heartfelt goodbyes of the grateful citizens of Valm Harbor.<p>

Anna had told the Shepherds that a small village of mages was only another day's walk down the road. They made way for the village, in search of a means to cross the lake to the Mila Tree.

Night had fallen and the Shepherds had stopped to make camp. They thought it best not to exhaust themselves in the case that the Valmese or Bandits attacked.

Robin sat in his tent, perusing through the new book that Sumia and Cordelia had purchased him. It was a novel chronicling the journeys of a hero, seeking to rescue a beautiful princess from the clutches of a nefarious warlock. Robin thought it to be rather cliche, but knowing Sumia would most likely quiz him on its contents, he figured he needed to at least get the gist of it. Due to the recent mishap of Gaius blackmailing him, Robin had been sure to clear out his belongings of any of Sumia and Cordelia's more _questionable_ book suggestions.

After a few more minutes of skimming through its contents, Robin sat the book down on the grass in the tent as he lay down on his bedroll.

The war would be long and grueling. Unlike their campaign in Plegia, they had an entire enemy occupied continent to traverse. Their numbers were a tenth at most of Walhart's forces. As much as they wished for a quick end to the war, their disadvantage in numbers meant they would do a lot of sneaking around, if that was even possible with a hundred thousand men.

Robin thought about his contributions during the most recent battle. His mission to infiltrate and take out Farber had failed. He was powerless in taking him out if it were not for Lon'qu and Lissa. Thousands could have perished in that fire had Farber not been stopped. Was his compassion truly a weakness? Were there some lines that needed to be crossed in order to hold up the greater good?

Robin flipped over to his side.

Like Lucina said, he had indeed chosen the harder path. But she admired him for it? Wouldn't it be more admirable for a tactician to worry about results? Cold, strategic, and disattached were qualities that were generally valued by someone with his role. But when he thought of the Shepherds, Khans and all the soldiers that lead lives of their own, he could care less about being the 'ideal' tactician. The real loss would be for him to forsake his values and put his comrades in harms way. Sure, victory would be more easily obtainable had he simply seen them as 'units', but would that be what _he _defined as victory? Lucina was right, this was who he was. He was different from other military strategist, and he'd rather struggle until the end of time finding a way to save lives then to simply win.

Brushing away the more philosophical aspects of his dilemma, he decided that he should focus on his personal strength.

Lucina also told him that his swordplay needed work. Rather than her poking fun like he had previously thought, he realized she really _was_ giving him advice that could potentially save his, and other's lives. He would need much more training in that field. While Lon'qu was one of the best teachers he could ask for, he knew that there were too many possibilities out there to be grounded to one traditional style alone.

On the other hand was his magic. He had no doubts about his skill with magic, but the fight with Farber made him realize that spell strength alone wouldn't always ensure victory. He made a nice breakthrough realizing the uses of lesser forms of magic, as with what he had done with Lucina. Maybe a reassessment of his magic usage? It seemed a good variety of combinations would better suit the situations he found himself in more than mere firepower.

He added up his thoughts. He wasn't as adept with a sword as Chrom, Lon'qu and Lucina, and while it was his strongest point in battle, his magic was still a step below that of Miriel and the recently discovered genius, Henry. But what he had that any of the other Shepherds lacked was his experience with both. He would be able to incorporate his swordplay in sync with his magic not unlike the Dark Knights themselves. He could piece together his skills to create a style of his own. It would be something that much demanded dedication and creativity, as no one in their company fought in such a way.

With a burst of inspiration, Robin got up and reached for his weapons. He put out the lamp in his tent and headed off.

* * *

><p>Robin had been practicing putting together his new fighting style. He slashed at a few trees on the edge of the moon lit field.<p>

Tome in one hand, sword in the other, he threw out a few thrusts before spinning and striking the tree with an Arcwind. He leapt in the air into a spinning diagonal downwards slash. As he rose from his crouched position, he did an uppercut motion with his tome, blasting an Elwind at the possible point of impact.

He figured out the basic idea of what he wanted to do, but his Bronze Sword was much too heavy to be swung around effectively in a single hand. His tome was also too big for his attacks to flow properly. His movements were sluggish. He concluded that the time might have come for him to part with is favorite sword, in favor of a lighter one to suit his new style. He would also need to transfer the spells from his old tomes into ones more easily carriable.

Setting the sword down for a moment, he racked his brain for new ways to utilize his magic. He discovered lesser wind magic was suitable for increasing mobility, so he played around with his wind tome.

He hesitantly aimed at the ground between his feet, then fired off a blast of Wind. He was propelled over 10 feet into the air before slamming into the ground.

"Aghhh..." Robin groaned as he rubbed his rear.

He got up once more and tried again. He was repeatedly thrown to the ground with every attempt until slowly but surely, he started to get the hang of it.

On his 23rd attempt, he hopped off the ground before firing off his Wind. As he floated through the air, he shot another Wind downwards to cushion his landing. Robin smiled proudly at his progress. Feeling confident, he tried replicating the feat using the more powerful Elwind. This time he was able launch himself nearly 20 feet. He nervously tried it out with an Arcwind, but it merely tore into the ground, kicking dirt and grass into his face. ...He wouldn't be using that one.

Feeling like he had made sufficient progress with regards to verticality, Robin tried firing Wind mid sprint in order to propel himself horizontally, much like he had with Lucina. He tripped several times before successfully tuning his movements to compensate for the new action.

After nearly an hour of practice, Robin zipped across and over the field, enjoying himself much more than he should have.

"GREAT ASVEL'S GRAFCALIBUR! The man is flying!" a voice yelled in awe.

Robin spun around to locate the source of the outburst, tome at the ready.

He saw an excited young man, grinning at him. He noticed the man's right arm was going through a flurry of movements.

Robin dropped his guard. "Hey there. ...Are you okay?" he asked.

The man struck a pose. "I can assure you that I, am of the utmost well being. I'm merely taking in your marvelous feats of human aeronautics! Tell me, sacred hero, of how you've come to be bestowed with such astounding power! Perchance you slew a raging wind demon, thus absorbing its mastery of the skies!?"

Robin tried real hard not to laugh at the young man's theatrics."No, no, it's nothing like that. I was just messing around with wind magic." Robin said with a smile. "By the way, who are you?"

The man straightened up and looked at Robin from the side. He covered a part of his face with his right hand, peeking through his fingers. "I believe this should suffice for introductions." he stated.

"I've got no clue what you're talking about."

The man faced him frantically. "What? Surely whispers of such man with my description have echoed through taverns across the land. I, Owain, the chosen hero of legend, who leapt through time in order to prevent the great calamity that is to befall our very world! I alone have been chosen to be Naga's vanguard, in the never ending battle to repel the forces of dark!"

Robin deadpanned. "You're one of the people who came along with Lucina, aren't you?"

Owain dropped his bravado. "H-hey... that's no fun at all. I... yeah, I'm her cousin." he said sheepishly. "Wait, you know Lucina? Where is she?! What of the others?"

"Wow, calm down there. It's..." Robin's eyes glinted evilly. 'Lucina's cousin, huh?' He decided to have a little fun with the man. "The fair princess hath been taken prisoner by the very being to blame for the bleak future." he said dramatically, eyes closed.

Owain gasped. "This cannot be!"

"But as luck would have it, Naga herself has sent you, brave hero, a messenger. It is I." Robin said as he rest a hand on his chest. He opened an eye to see his reaction.

"Tell me, O'powerful emissary of the divine! What can be done to avert her fate!?" Owain asked in panic.

Robin was nearly dying, "Naga says she can devise an almighty spell. One that would be able to whisk the princess away from the clutches of the foul villain. But... something is needed before the ritual can be performed..."

"Speak what you require, divine being!"

Robin had to think quickly of what he wanted, less Owain would begin to catch on. He had to keep the charade going smooth and natural. "We require... a certain memory from her..."

"Of what? If it is within my knowledge, name it and it shall be yours!"

"...We require the knowledge... of anything that will likely embarrass her..." Robin mentally slapped his face. That was too damn blunt! There was no way he'd fall for this any longer.

"I see... It all makes sense! Embarrassment is a human emotion that rivals that of fear and love! You plan on converting her feelings into the energy source for the spell, do you not?" Owain said proudly, believing that he had just unraveled the mystery.

"Y-yes? Yes!" Robin almost died of joy. "It is to be expected that Naga's chosen would catch on so quickly."

Owain nodded proudly.

"Now, speak. What would fluster the princess so? The hotter her cheeks, the more effective the spell will become."

Owain thought hard. He had trouble recalling any such thing as they had spent the last few fears fighting for their lives. But, he remembered one thing. "I've got it! Brave as my dear cousin may be, she has an aversion to large bugs!"

Robin couldn't hide the stupid smile on his face. "B-bugs you say? Very well, I shall gran-"

"Robin, father calls for you. It's abou- Owain!?"

The two turned around to find the princess herself. It seems she hadn't overheard the commotion.

Owain immediately sprinted for her and pulled her into a hug. "Cousin, you're safe! Oh, Naga be praised! The ritual worked!

Lucina hugged him back. "Yes Owain, the ritual did work." There was a disconnect on what _ritual_ they were both talking about. While Lucina was referring to the Time Travel ritual Naga had prepared, Owain spoke of the farce Robin had created.

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Had Lucina overheard, Chrom would eventually find him skewered to some tree.

Owain let go of Lucina and turned to bow down at Robin. "The gods have answered this man's prayers! Honor goes to you, holy envoy!"

Robin raised his arms skyward.

Lucina didn't know what to make of the spectacle. She cleared her throat. "Owain, where are the others?"

Owain got up, dusting the grass from his knees. "The only ones with me are Severa and Kjelle. We haven't run into anyone else." His demeanor had changed when addressed by Lucina.

"Oh? Well that's a start. Where are they?" Lucina asked, looking around.

"They're at the village further south. It's inhabited by several Sages. "

"That's an entire day away. Why are you out here by yourself?" Robin asked

"That you see, can be attributed to my quest for the legendary sword, Mysteltainn!" Owain explained.

Lucina shook her head. "Owain, there's no such sword around here. Also, what are you thinking going off by yourself? Are you aware that this country is currently embroiled in war? Your carelessness will get you killed one day!"

Owain flinched at Lucina's lashing. "I-I apologize, I'll get back to them immediately."

"No you won't. You're staying here with us tonight."

"Us? Have you found a band of heroes to aid you in our cause?"

Lucina smiled. "Yes, the finest band of heroes. The Shepherds."

Owain's eyes widened. "The Shepherds? That means... mom, dad! Wait, you said not to interact with othe-"

"Easy Owain. I'll explain when we get to camp. But lay low for a bit, we need to speak with my father first." Lucina said.

Owain nodded.

"You said Chrom needed me?" Robin asked Lucina.

"Yes, but this matter is more important. Come along." she said as she walked back to camp.

Robin went to retrieve his sword. He found Owain waiting for him.

"Um, Robin was it? You're not ...really Naga's messenger, are you?" Owain asked with a serious face.

Robin felt ashamed for duping the man. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just the Shepherd's Tactician. I apologize for the act I put up."

"Apologize? That was amazing! To think I'd meet another with creativity as vast as mine!"

"You aren't mad?"

"No way! In fact, I wanted to ask if you mind if I borrowed your character for the tale I'm writing."

"You're a writer?"

"Not professionally, no, but I've always loved epics about heroes and the like."

"Sure, go ahead." Robin smiled.

"You will not be disappointed. Men and women of all ages will hear of your exploits for generations to come!"

Robin laughed. "I'll be looking forward to it. Now, let's head back to camp."

* * *

><p>"Lissa's son?" Chrom asked in surprise.<p>

The three went to the command tent to confirm the situation.

"It's true uncle Chrom." Owain said.

Chrom sat back in his seat. "Well this is surprising to say the least. I was told that Lucina had come here with others, but for all of them to be our children?"

Lucina spoke,"I didn't want to risk the others finding out. What if the shock would be too great for them? It could drive the couples away from one another, and then my friends, they wouldn't exist..."

"That might not be the case." Robin said. "I was discussing the matter of time travel with Miriel after you joined us. She said that while some believed in a single timeline, there are others that believe changing the past doesn't divert the future, but rather create a new one."

Chrom thought about it. "So there might be multiple futures? Multiple worlds even?"

"...So we would still exist despite what we changed here?" Lucina asked.

"It's a possibility." Robin concluded.

Chrom spoke up. "In Owain's case, Lissa and Lon'qu are already married. So despite the theories, it should be fine if they meet."

Owain nodded in excitement. He'd finally be able to meet the parents he had lost so long ago.

As they all got up to go find Owain's parents, they noticed Lucina hadn't moved. She sat still, a blank look on her face.

Lucina had been contemplating Robin's words. "If what we do here won't affect my future... you're saying that I abandoned our world? That they were all left to perish under Grima while I escaped?" she spoke, visibly shaking.

Robin shook his head. "Lucina, that's not wh-"

"But that's what you're saying implies! Sure, we would exist even if our parents don't have us here, but that still means we can't do a thing for _our _future! Even if we save this world, ours is as good as gone!" she yelled.

"Cousin, you mustn't think like that!" Owain yelled in concern.

"But it's a possibility isn't it!?" she cried.

Chrom held his daughter. "Lucina, calm down."

"How can I calm down?! My mission, my hope to save that world, was it all a lie!? ...Am I truly even _your_ daughter... or am I just some double from an unwanted future?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

She broke free from Chrom's hold and ran out the tent.

"Lucina!" Owain called.

The three stood silent, stunned by the turn of events.

Robin looked down. "Chrom... I didn't mean..."

"It's fine Robin. I know you didn't." he said sadly.

Something was building up within Robin. What was strange was that it was not guilt, or sadness. He looked up, an aggressive look in his eyes. "Chrom, you take Owain to meet his parents. I'll deal with Lucina."

Chrom looked to his friend, unsure. "What do you plan to do?"

"I'm gonna knock some sense into her." he said as he walked out the tent.

* * *

><p>Lucina sat on a log in the same field Robin had been training in.<p>

The turmoil that she thought she had left behind once again plagued her thoughts. Why had Naga saved them? Why were they the only ones able to escape that future? Her comrades, friends that had fallen there... where they gone forever?

Lucina heard footsteps behind her. She turned to find Robin staring down at her. "Robin, I just need some time alone. I doubt you can help with this."

Robin grabbed his sword. "That's where you're wrong. I'm not here to console you or anything. In fact, you're kind of pissing me off."

Lucina looked at him in disbelief. "I've angered _you_!? Tell me, how did this come about?" she yelled.

"Draw your sword." he said, raising his.

Lucina fumed at the man's brashness. She stood up and unsheathed her Falchion. "If anyone is to be upset, it's me and Owain."

"Get over yourself."

Lucina leapt at Robin in anger, thrusting forward. Before her blade could reach him, he vanished in a burst of wind. She looked around and saw he had zoomed a few meters away.

Robin aimed his tome behind him, unleashing another Wind and rocketed towards Lucina.

She caught his blade with hers, sliding back from the impact.

Robin pulled his sword back and slashed at her multiple times.

Lucina quickly repelled his assault, anger burning in her eyes.

"So you lost your purpose to fight. You're just going to give up, is that it?" he spat, refusing to let up from his strikes.

"Silence!" she shouted, reflecting one of his strikes away to the side, following up with a horizontal swipe.

Robin hopped back and shot her with a burst of Wind, propelling himself away while pushing her back.

"Stop doing that!" she said in frustration.

"Why does it matter? If you can't handle this, maybe you really couldn't save the future anyways."

She grit her teeth and flew forward with immense strength. She dashed past him with an upward swipe.

Robin just barely moved out of the Falchion's path as it sliced through the very air he stood milliseconds ago.

Lucina gave him no time to recover, rushing at him once again. She threw her Falchion up into the air over Robin as she jumped into a flying kick.

Her feet slammed into Robin's chest, causing him to gasp. She immediately caught the Falchion as it fell down and kicked off of Robin, flipping backwards onto the ground.

She lunged at him, unleashing a flurry of slashes.

He was caught off guard with her sudden burst and found himself on the defensive. "I apologize, and yet I don't. You've been given a chance to change fate, yet this is how you act?" He asked in between blocks.

"Can I not even grieve over those I've lost?" she yelled, slamming her Falchion furiously against his Bronze Sword.

"That's not the problem here. You've doubted yourself. You believe what you've done is for naught, correct?" he asked, as he ducked under a swing.

"Why does that concern you?" she spat, trying to slash at his retreating form.

Robin rolled through another horizontal swipe, shoulder bashing her. "How many times have you helped me as I struggled with all that I've done? I took your words to heart! And I'd really feel like a damn fool if you just go crumbling as soon as one terrible thought goes through your head." he spoke as she got up from the ground.

As soon as she had trained her blade on Robin, he had already zoomed behind her with his wind magic.

Robin brought down his sword vertically, but Lucina had pulled her Falchion behind her back to stop it.

As their blades grinded against each other, Lucina spun around and swung her fist at Robin's face.

Robin leaned back from the punch and dropped his tome. He grabbed her outstretched arm and pulled her towards him. "What of the people here, Lucina? Do they not matter? "

Lucina fought against his grip, but Robin held on.

"You really believe yourself to not be Chrom's daughter? You're telling me the tears he and Sumia shed for you weren't real?" he yelled.

Lucina slowly ceased her resistance as the words seeped into her. The two were at a standstill. They both breathed heavily, recovering from their feud.

The anger in both Lucina and Robin had slowly faded. An unsettling air filled the area as they stared at one another.

"...What am I supposed to do? If what you say is true..." Lucina muttered, finally breaking the silence.

"You stay strong..." Robin said, echoing her own advice back at her. "For the people you care for, and for yourself."

Lucina stayed silent.

"You realize if things were how you thought them to be, the moment you stopped Grima here, _this_ you wouldn't exist." he said

She looked up at him. "W-what are you talking about?"

"If there really is only one timeline, and you change things here, you would never have come into the past. The Lucina currently standing before me wouldn't exist."

"How can you know that for certain?"

"I don't, but the thought that one of my friends would just vanish bothers me. That's why I'd rather believe in the other theory... Listen, I can't even begin to imagine how you feel, thinking that your world is lost, but does that mean we should just to stand by while this one goes down that same path?"

"I-I was supposed to come here to _change_ the future... my future"

"How about we create a new one right here?"

"Create?"

Robin nodded. "Assuming we really can't save your future, it's just as it sounds isn't it? What good would thinking about such things do? You told me so yourself." Robin said, gazing into her eyes.

"It's not the same, Robin..."

"Isn't it? This world we live in may or may not be larger than what we could've imagined. We might not only be dealing with a single world here anymore, but what you told me still applies. You said people have died for you to get here. Even if you can't avenge_ them_, somewhere, in the many possible worlds, _they_ still live on. Take here for example, you can still make sure that the versions of them in this timeline never have to go through that... It won't be the quite the same, but they're just as alive here as they were there."

"Those that died in my world... would they be fine with that?"

"I don't know, and I believe it's not our place to put words in the mouths of those who've passed. It's not likely that we can go out and save every world out there from catastrophe, but what we can do is worry about those who live in this one right now. It's time you stop worrying about the _future_ and start living in the _present_." he said sternly.

It made sense to her. Perhaps, deep down in the darkest corners of her mind, she already knew that her future was doomed. She was just too afraid to come to terms with it. Maybe Naga didn't send them back to save that future, but to strictly prevent the calamity from befalling another. "But... do I even belong here?" she asked slowly, trembling.

Robin leaned down to look here face to face "Of course you do. Not a single Shepherd would think any different." he said confidently.

Lucina bit her lip.

Robin knew it was best to have her let it out. He slowly pulled her into a warm hug.

Lucina was overwhelmed with emotion. Hope and despair fought for dominance within her. It pained her to face the reality that world she left was possibly ruined, but she also wanted to believe that if she could at least change this one, just maybe, her trip to the past wasn't for nothing. She wanted to believe that _fate_ had not yet won.

He felt the front of his shirt dampen, her arms slowly wrapping around him this time. He could feel his chest vibrate from her muffled sobs. And then, as if he had read her mind,"Even if multiple worlds exist, that only proves how fallible _fate_ truly is. If there are multiple worlds, there are multiple authors. That role is exactly what we should strive for. We'll chisel in our own future onto the slab of time..." he said softly.

"...our own future." she whispered.

"We're going to change this world, Lucina. It's your home too now." he said, holding the girl. Her grip on him tightened.

Robin held Lucina in silence for minutes more.

He had said his part, but very uncharacteristic of him, he planned little on what would come after. He stood there awkwardly... in a field...at night... his friend's daughter crying in his arms. 'Why isn't Chrom doing this?' he thought, trying to lighten the mood.

But as he looked down at her, he knew exactly why he had done it. "It's because I look up to you." he said.

Lucina lifted her head, eyes wet, nose red. "...What do you mean?"

" ...I admire your strong will. You always knew what to say when I've nearly lost myself. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me when I saw you of all people breakdown like that... I'm sorry."

Lucina smiled softly. "Ylisse's premiere Tactician looks up to me? I'm flattered." she joked.

Robin closed his eyes and sighed. "And, you're back."

"Deal with it." she said, wiping off her tears with one hand, the smile not leaving her face.

"Really though, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I stepped bounds again."

"No, I needed it. It was foolish of me to have fallen back to thinking like that. I promised myself once that I would no longer regret what I've done, yet here I am."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Hero or not, we're still human. Besides, I'll always be here to set you straight. And I hope you'll continue to do the same when the time comes where I once again make a mess of myself. No matter what life throws us, we're all in this together. We're Shepherds, we've got each other's backs."

"Yes... and I'm glad you're my friend, Robin." she said rubbing her eyes.

"Heh, and I'm glad you're fine now. Wouldn't exactly count as a win if I were to crush you in battle given the sorry state you were in." he said smugly.

Lucina punched his chest lightly, other arm still around his waist. "...And I thought you were finally being sweet."

"No, no, this all for my personal gain." he smirked.

Lucina laughed.

Seeing as she had come to her senses, Robin let go of her. "Well, we best be getting back. I wouldn't want to miss the touching reunion. Oh, and Lucina, apologize to Chrom." Robin said, seriously.

Lucina looked to the side in shame. '...How could I have said that to father."

Robin rubbed the top of her head. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"...Why are you rubbing my head?" she asked with slight annoyance.

"Baby Lucina likes it when you rub her there." he said with a grin.

Lucina turned red. "L-let's just go meet up with them." she said as she walked back to camp.

Robin laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And I'll end it right here for now. Kind of a weird shift from serious, to humor , and back into serious huh?**

**Robin's finally gettin' gud.**

**Owain, Severa and Kjelle finally appear! (well technically, for the last two).**

**And a big EFF YOU to the whole multiple worlds theory! I mean as much as I love it, it's really a pain in the butt to set into action, but I really wanted to get that issue out of the way. Now the kids can make with all the 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' guilt free, since their world's doomed anyways...**

** -_- I kiddddd. It's tragic but there's no other way to go about it. It was hard finding a way to introduce the children without just having all the Shepherds marrying each other instantly like in the game. I figured that as time travelers, one of their major worries was to make sure that they were born in the first place. It's solved with the multiple worlds theory (or hypothesis?), but leads to the problem that the children would realize the world they came from was unchangeable. ****I didn't want Lucina to just ignore the fact that her 'future' was doomed, thus leading to the very hard time I had trying to put together a resolution for the problem. Robins consolation to her, while complicated and emotional in this chapter, can be much more bluntly and insensitively put as:**

**Lucina - Wut bout mah world!? **

**Robin - Forget about them, what about us?**

** Lucina - Fsho**

**But of course everything can sound like that if you deconstruct it enough.**

**It led to a big diversion from what this chapter was supposed to be, but that issues cleared and you got a**** pretty big Lucina/Robin moment out of it. They were gettin' a bit touchy this time too :P But don't get ahead of yourselves, they _ain't_ confessing anything just yet. ****I've only just managed to slipped in the the title aside from the intro segment (oh yeah!) so the story's just begun.**

**I hope you read this whole A/N babbling as it's a way I believe I can explain (*cough* justify * cough*) ****my insecurities, or make it seem like I know what I'm talking about...**

**Thank you for reading this! And thank you for the nearly 11k views! :D**

**See ya next time!**


	14. Sage's Hamlet 2

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Sage's Hamlet 2**

After the two had made amends, Robin saving Lucina's wavering resolve, they headed towards Lon'qu and Lissa's tent for Owain's big reveal.

In truth, Robin didn't know how he managed to get through to Lucina. In a fit of unjustified rage, he had recklessly challenged her to a small duel. Emotions flared high, but in the end, the matter was settled. He had tried to calm her down through scientific theory, but figured Time Travel was a subject best left to Miriel. Instead, he reached out to her with more humanistic approach. He knew despite what cruel schemes the laws of the universe had thrown at them, what really mattered to them was their own lives and those they cared for. Science be damned.

The tent finally came into view. The two peered inside, expecting to find the family in joyful tears. They were instead met with the sight of Chrom, Lon'qu, and Lissa sitting down awkwardly as they listened to Owain's ramblings of his quest for peace and justice.

Nearly 20 minutes had gone by since Chrom brought him here, and Owain had yet to reveal anything substantial.

"Who's side of the family does he get _that_ from?" Robin whispered to Lucina.

She shook her head as she entered the tent.

Chrom looked up in surprise."Lucina! ...Are you..."

Lucina walked up and hugged Chrom tightly. "I'm sorry father... I didn't mean it..." she said with remorse.

Chrom's face softened. He kissed the top of her head as he returned the hug. "Don't worry about it, princess. No matter what, you'll always be my daughter."

Lon'qu and Lissa didn't know what it was about, but they exchanged an affectionate smile.

Owain turned to Robin," I take it that this was you're doing," he said, impressed.

Robin merely smiled.

Breaking off from her moment with Chrom, Lucina turned around towards Owain. "Owain, can you continue?"

"O-oh, yes! How could I forget? ...You see, I had just chanced upon the mystic-"

"For goodness sake. The _real_ reason we're here." Lucina said, growing impatient.

Owain straightened up. "Okay, okay. Uhhh, Lissa, Lon'qu... This may sound quite strange..."

"Granted, not as strange as Lon'qu getting married." Robin cut in.

"I'll gut you..." Lon'qu growled.

Robin put his hands in front defensively. Chrom let out a chuckle.

"I'm your son from the future." Owain said. He stared at his parent's faces. They were painted with shock.

Lissa's eyes moistened as she got up. "...Y-you're my son?" she asked. Lon'qu stood up and put a hand around his wife.

"Yes, mother" Owain smiled.

Lissa jumped into Owain's arms, crying happily.

Owain shed a few tears himself, as he hugged his mother for the first time in years.

Lon'qu stood in front of them, unsure of what to do. Lissa turned and pulled him into a group hug.

"Father?" Owain said, looking up at him.

A soft smile graced Lon'qu's lips, as he nodded and hugged his wife and new found son.

Robin, Chrom and Lucina smiled at the sight.

After the newly reunited family recovered from their moment of joy, Lissa spoke up. "Owain. Son, do you have..."

"The brand?" Owain asked as he exposed the mark on his arm.

Lissa teared up once again. "So you knew..."

Owain nodded, once again hugging his mother. "You've told me as much in the future, that you're brand had never surfaced. When mine showed it itself... you were laughing and crying for an hour without pause!" he concluded, laughing while tears ran down his face.

"You know, I was hoping that I would've grown out of the crying thing..." she said with a smile.

"Worry no more, mother. You are indeed Chrom's sister. My brand is proof that we are all linked by blood."

Lissa dug her head back into his chest, Lon'qu joining in once again.

Lucina and Chrom chose to join in as well. Chrom was happy his sister's qualms about her lineage had finally been settled.

Robin stood alone at the tent's entrance. 'I'm beginning to wonder if this will start to become a trend in this family' he thought humorously.

Robin left them be and went off to find something to eat.

* * *

><p>Robin sat in the mess tent, chowing down on a bowl of soup and steak that Libra and Maribelle prepared.<p>

Owain and Lucina walked in and took a seat next to Robin.

Libra noticing they entered, brought over a tray of food for Lucina and Owain. Although he had never seen Owain before, he figured that if he was Robin and Lucina, he must have been a new friend.

"That went well," Robin said offhandedly, attention consumed by his food.

"Yeah, it did," Owain said happily. He turned to Lucina. "And cousin, thank you... for letting us meet them." he smiled..

Lucina nodded "I too couldn't resist it. I missed them more than anything. After I told them who I was, I almost left too. But... I'm glad someone was there to stop me." she smiled as she ate a spoonful of soup.

Robin smirked as he cut into his steak. "Where's Chrom and your parents?" he asked Owain.

"Dey said dey'll be hurr in a liddle." he replied with a mouthful of food.

The three enjoyed their meal, perfectly satisfied with their lives at the moment.

"Hello Robin, Lucina" Cordelia greeted as she sat in front of them. The two greeted her back.

"Hey aunt Cordelia!" Owain said with a grin.

Cordelia dropped her fork. "A-aunt? Oh my, who might this be?" she asked Robin and Lucina.

Lucina elbowed Owain. "It's supposed to be a surprise!" she whispered.

"Sorry!" he whispered back, rubbing his side.

Robin spoke up,"Cordelia, keep this a secret for a little while longer bu-"

"Hello everyone!" Sumia said as she sat down. "Robin, Lucina, what a surprise to see you both here!" she said dramatically, putting her hand in front of her mouth.

This time Cordelia elbowed Sumia. "You're coming on too strong!" she whispered to her.

"Sorry!" Sumia whispered back, rubbing her side. "Who's this? A new ally?" she asked referring to Owain.

"Hey aunt Sumia!" Owain said with a grin.

"Aunt?" Sumia asked.

Lucina elbowed him once again.

"Sorry!"

Robin cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, keep this a secret for a little while lo-"

"Everyone! I've got something to announce!" Chrom said as entered the tent.

Robin decided to just drop it as he scarfed down the rest of his soup.

Somewhere in the multitude of alternate worlds, this same conversation took place in an endless loop.

All Shepherds looked towards their leader.

"These two have got something important to say." Chrom said as he held open the flaps of the tent.

Lon'qu and Lissa walked in.

All eyes looked at the two expectantly.

Lon'qu wrapped an arm around his wife, Lissa bouncing with joy.

"Everyone.." Lissa spoke. "I have a child!"

After a brief pause, the room roared with applause, cheers and whistles.

"Lon'qu! You're cured!" Vaike yelled. Gaius and Gregor snickered.

Normally Lon'qu would've glared daggers, but the joyous moment left him only shaking his head with a smile.

"Congratulations, Lissa! How far in are you?" Anna asked.

Lissa laughed. "Far in? He's already about 18!"

The cheers died down as everyone stared at Lissa's flat stomach.

'Idiots!' Robin thought, as he nearly choked on his steak from laughter.

Chrom slapped his forehead. "No, everyone, she hasn't been with child for 18 years..."

The Shepherds looked at one another in confusion.

"What this means is we have another Lucina situation." Chrom explained. "We've just found another person from the future. He's sitting right over there." Chrom pointed at Owain.

All attention was directed towards the new child of the future.

Owain was struggling to pull his right hand away from his bowl of soup and over towards his steak.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The room lay silent until,"Ha ha, boy fights with own hand!" Gregor laughed.

The room erupted in cheers.

People around the room got up to gather around Owain's table.

"Okay Owain, it's fine now." Lucina said.

Owain got up and introduced himself to the Shepherds shaking their hands and hugging them.

As the small celebration died down, everyone went back to their own businesses in the tent.

"Wow, so I'm an aunt too now? This family just keeps getting bigger and bigger!" Sumia said cheerfully.

"Heh, I hear you." Chrom said sipping some wine.

Amid the cheery atmosphere, Cordelia rested her head in her palm, a bittersweet smile on her lips. Cordelia was beyond happy that Sumia finally achieved her lifelong dream of having a warm, loving family. And while her friend's happiness was one of the greatest gifts she could ask for, it couldn't help but make her think about emptiness of her own life. Cordelia too longed for a loving family of her own. She remembered the nights where she nearly cried herself to sleep after finding out Sumia was engaged to Chrom. And all though she had eventually learned to accept it and now offered them her full support, it did nothing to fill the void in her heart. She did find comfort in one person. They had gotten to know each other quite well in the years following Gangrel's defeat. He wa-

"Hey beautiful." Gaius said as he took the open seat next to Cordelia.

"Gaius! Hello." she said.

"What's eatin' at you? It's not doing much to help that pretty face of yours." he said with a grin.

Cordelia flushed. "Th-there you go again trying to flatter me."

"It's not flattery if it's true," he said with a sweet smile as he rested a hand on hers.

"Gaius..." she breathed, smiling at the thief lovingly.

Although everyone was already aware of the 'close relationship' the two had, that didn't stop Cordelia from blushing like mad and denying it whenever the subject was brought up.

Sumia smiled at her two friends. She knew how much of a romantic Cordelia was, so she was overjoyed when Gaius began to be more open with his feelings for the red head.

Owain leaned to side towards Lucina. "Hey, they're not together yet?" he whispered.

Lucina shook her head.

"But aren't you all headed to the village tomorrow? Severa and Kjelle are there! For that matter, what of Stahl and Sully?" Owain whispered.

"...It'll be fine. " Lucina said confidently. "They deserve to meet with their parents too."

The rest of the night was filled with happy memories. So much so that one would have ever have that the group was in the midst of a world war.

* * *

><p>The early morning sun peeked over the horizon.<p>

The Shepherds had begun packing up for their trip to the village of Sages.

After a filling breakfast, the group set out on their journey.

To avoid the monotony of the marches, the Shepherds learned to cope with their boredom through weaving tales and telling jokes to one another. Before they knew it, the small hamlet in the hills came into view.

As their large group arrived, many of the village's inhabitants came out of their homes to greet the travellers.

A Sage walked up to the group."Hail travellers. Welcome to our humble village. " he greeted, extending a hand.

Chrom shook the man's hand. "We thank you for the warm welcome. We're just passing through, but we were wondering if you knew of any way we could cross the massive lake between here and the Mila Tree."

The man looked surprised at Chrom's request. "The Mila Tree you say? But that area is occupied with Valmese forces! Surely you're mistaken in trying to head there." he said with concern.

"Worry not, we're part of the Ylissean army." Chrom explained.

"Ylisse? You've come to help us?" he asked in surprise. It appears word of Valm Harbor's liberation had not reached their small village.

Say'ri walked up to them. "Aye, the Ylisseans have offered to join with the Resistance to put an end to Walhart's tyranny." she explained.

"Both Resistance and Ylisse? This is of great news to us all. Walhart has rolled through many countries, annexing them into his empire. We're lucky the Valmese have little interest in our meager village." the Sage said.

"Yes, and we plan to make sure that they never do." Chrom smiled.

"You have our thanks. Although I'm sure Ylisse has their own reasons for fighting, know that all people of Valm, who still hold the ideals of freedom in their hearts, are with you." the Sage said.

Chrom nodded in appreciation. "It's an honor. Now, as for the lake..."

"Seek no further, friend. We will provide you with our fishing vessels tomorrow. In the mean time, I urge you all to spend the night here. We've a vacant lodging house in case travellers such as yourselves would make way through here." the Sage offered.

"That would be a great deal of help. Thank you." Chrom said.

The Sage nodded. As he looked upon the many Shepherds, he saw a familiar face. "Owain? Gods, so this is where you've run off to. Your friend's were sick with worry!"

Owain walked up to front of the convoy. "Ahah, sorry about that, Bora."

The Sage, Bora, turned back to the Shepherds. "I apologize if my friend here has caused you any inconvenience. He's been staying with us for the last year and a half, and we here take responsibility of our own."

Lissa spoke up. "Don't worry, he's my son!" she said with a smile, hugging Owain.

Bora looked her up and down. "You're son? But you appear no older than he!" he pointed out.

Robin took it from there. "Well it's a bit complicated. Let's just say it's the work of immensely powerful magic."

Bora put on a thoughtful look on his face. "A child and mother with no difference in age... powerful magic... I don't mean to pry, but could you be speaking of time travel?" he asked.

Robin was stunned. "Yes, actually. I hadn't expected anyone else to just come to that conclusion so quickly. You know about it?"

Bora smiled. "We're a village that prides itself in its magic after all. Of course I've heard a tale or two, even read about in various ancient writings... but to think that this young man was the product of such marvelous phenomenon..."

"Believe me, we were all shocked when we found it." Robin chuckled.

"Ha, I would imagine so. Regardless, it warms my heart that he's been reunited with his family. Would that also be the case for his two friends?" Bora asked.

Robin thought about what he meant. Then he remembered that Owain had mentioned two other children were with him. "I believe so, from what I recall at least."

"Very good. Now, let me delay you no further. Make yourselves at home." Bora said.

"You have our thanks." Robin smiled.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds set up camp right next to the village entrance. It was decided that the women would have the lodging house, much to the men's disappointment.<p>

What they hadn't noticed was two young women had wandered into their campsite.

"Gawds, Kjelle. I know you just finished training and all, but will it kill ya to fix yourself up once in a while? Our parents our here for crying out loud!" the red head whined.

"Hm? Why do I need to do that? If they've traveled all the way out here, I'm sure they're just as dirty as I am."

"Hmph, being a tomboy doesn't give you the right to let your appearance go." the red head huffed.

As they walked through camp, several other Shepherds gave them a few odd looks. However, they passed them off as just two girls from the village coming to greet their visitors.

"Severa, should we really be doing this? I mean Lucina told us that we should avoid revealing ourselves to them." Kjelle asked.

The red head now identified as Severa, folded her arms. "I don't see Lucina anywhere. Do you? Besides, we're not gonna tell them we're they're kids, we're just goi-"

"Severa?" Kjelle asked, noticing her friend had abruptly stopped. Kjelle followed Severa's gaze to two figures sitting beside each other by the Shepherd's campfire. "It's them... Severa, it's your-"

The red head turned around and walked away.

"Severa!" Kjelle called after her.

Severa ignored her friend. It had been her idea to go into the Shepherd's camp in order to see their parents. But the moment she had caught sight of them, she... She suddenly bumped into someone.

"Severa?"

Her eyes widened. "Owain? Where the heck have you been!?"

Before he could respond, he was moved aside by a certain blue haired princess.

"Lucina!?" Severa said in surprise.

"It's nice to see you, Severa." Lucina said with a smile.

Severa hugged the princess. "Geez, where've you been the last few years? You think you can just up and disappear because you're our leader?" she asked angrily.

"I apologize, but I had no control over where I landed after the jump. I have scoured Ylisse looking for you all."

"Hmph, well... I guess I've got no choice but to let you slide... this time..." she said, arms crossed.

Lucina smiled.

"Hey!" I voice called to the three. Kjelle ran up to them. "Well isn't this a touching reunion," she said.

"Hello, Kjelle. It's been a while hasn't it?" Lucina said friendlily.

"You bet it has. I hope you haven't gotten rusty over the years, 'cause I've only gotten stronger." Kjelle grinned.

"Oh? Well I'll make it a point to let you put your words to the test later. As for now, you came here to meet your parents I presume?" Lucina asked.

"H-hey! Don't make it sound like we're the ones in the wrong! How long have you been with them anyhow?" Severa defended.

Lucina shook her head. "No, you misunderstand my intentions. I believe you _should_ meet your parents." she explained.

"You do? But what happened to 'changing only what's necessary'?" Kjelle asked.

Lucina gave a sigh. "Listen, there's been a lot that's happened. Too much for me to explain at this moment. What I can tell you is that... it's okay. To meet them that is."

"Hmph, fine. Then I guess I have no choice." Severa huffed as she walked back towards the center of the camp.

"Where are you going?" Lucina asked.

"What does it look like? I'm meeting my parents." Severa said.

* * *

><p>Gaius and Cordelia sat together by the fire.<p>

"So Gaius... did you need something?" Cordelia asked.

"Um yeah..." Gaius said nervously. He looked up at her and noticed something in her hair. "Hey, you're wearing the ribbon I bought you! I'm surprised you still have it." Gaius beamed.

Cordelia smiled warmly, fingers twiddling the ribbon. "Hee Hee, you noticed? Of course I still have it. It was a present from _you_ after all..."

"Heh, looks beautiful on you. Although you always look beautiful to me, with or without it." he smiled softly, scooting closer to her. Gaius slowly grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

Cordelia was as red as her hair. She boldly intertwined their fingers. "You're very charming when you put your mind to it."

"Only when I put my mind to it?" Gaius smirked.

Cordelia giggled.

Gaius leaned in closer to her, planting a kiss on her cheeks. Cordelia closed her eyes.

When she opened, Gaius was staring into her eyes lovingly.

They leaned close once more, sharing a soft kiss, holding each other in their arms.

*ahem*

The two snapped from their passionate moment to find a red pigtailed girl in front of them. Her arms crossed, an annoyed look on her face.

"Damn it, kid. We're busy here." Gaius groaned.

Cordelia giggled.

"Well isn't that all fine and dandy! You two here having the time of your lives, but have you any idea what _I've_ been through the last couple of years!?" the girl said, eyes slowly beginning to water.

Gaius was clearly annoyed. He got up and grabbed the girl's hand. "Look here kid. I don't know who you are, or what your deal is bu..." Gaius stopped. He felt something familiar on the girl's hand. As he looked down, he saw the item in question worn on one of her fingers.

Gaius fished around in one of his pockets. His jaw dropped. "N-no way..." he gasped.

Cordelia sat up. "Gaius? What's wrong?"

Gaius spun around, shoving the girl's hand in front of Cordelia. "S-she's wearing my ring!"

Cordelia's eyes widened. "...Your ring you say. I see... So what was I to you Gaius?" she asked, as tears streamed down her face.

Gaius groaned. "No, Cordelia that's not what I meant..." he said as he pulled out the object in his pocket and held it out to her.

Cordelia wiped her eyes and inspected the item. She looked back towards the girl's finger. "T-they're the same! What are the chance?"

"That's not it! I made this ring! For you!" Gaius said.

Cordelia covered her hand with her mouth. "You made me a ring? But that means..."

Gaius rubbed the back of his head. "I've been trying to find the right moment since we left Ylisstol. The reason I called you here was... to ask you if you'd marry me." he said, blushing. "You're real special to me Cordelia. I know I'm not exactly _him, _but I can't live the rest of my life knowing that I didn't at least try to win you..."

Cordelia smiled softly, walking over to Gaius and kissing him on the lips. "_He _hasn't been on my mind since I met _you_..." she breathed. "I'd love to be your wife, Gaius. I love you." she smiled.

Gaius smiled stupidly, kissing his new fiancee.

Severa, clenched her fists.

"Wait," Gaius said, breaking the kiss. He turned to the girl, who was now trembling, tears dripping down her face. "That means she's..."

"She's our daughter..." Cordelia said, breaking into tears.

Severa sniffled,"It's about time you jerks noticed."

Gaius and Cordelia pulled the girl into an embrace. All crying tears of joy. Cordelia and Gaius laughed like idiots, while Severa tried hard not to smile.

After the hug ended Severa spoke up. "Daddy? Mind if I talk to mother in private?"

Gaius grinned. "Daddy, huh? I like the sound of that. Fine, but don't take too long, we've got a lot of catching up to do." he said as he left to give his two girls some space.

When she was sure Gaius was gone, Cordelia turned to her daughter. "I'm glad you came to us."

"...lonely..." Severa mumbled.

"Hm?"

"I SAID, I thought you'd be lonely, so I came here to see you! ...You're welcome." Severa said, looking away.

Cordelia smiled. "That's very sweet."

Severa frowned. "Don't mock me! You don't care! You don't care at all..."

Cordelia leaned down to her daughter's face. "How could you possibly think that? I'm thrilled beyond words to meet you."

Tears dripped down Severa's face. "T-then why'd you leave me? You said you had to go off and fight for what mattered, and you never came back... You picked Chrom! You already had me and dad!"

Cordelia looked down for a bit. "You have me at a disadvantage. I can't exactly speak for my future self. But when I said I was fighting for what mattered, I probably meant you. It's always been my dream to have a loving husband and a beautiful daughter like yourself. I'd want nothing more than to build a world where you could grow up happy and strong. I'm sure your father would want the same."

"You think I didn't know that? I mean I DO know that but..."

"I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother to you." Cordelia said sadly.

Severa wrapped her arms around her mother in a fierce hug. "You're still MY mother, which make you the best mother in the world!"

"...and the luckiest it seems." Cordelia said, hugging her daughter tightly.

"...Oh mom! I missed you so much! I'm s-sorry I was so mean..." Severa sobbed. "I don't want to lose you again! Promise me okay? Promise you won't leave!"

"I promise." Cordelia said tearfully, rubbing Severa's back.

Despite the awkward meeting, the two couldn't be happier.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Owain was reunited with Lissa and Lon'qu, Severa with Cordelia and Gaius.**

**Even when he's married and has a kid, Lon'qu's rep as a gynophobe won't leave him be!**

**Yes, the village of Sages is filled with Bros and Good Guy Gregs. Says so in the maps description too.**

**I changed Gaius and Cordelia's S support quite a bit since Severa was there, but still added in the fact he gave her a ribbon and made her a ring from scratch. I also managed to slip in Severa's dialogue with Cordelia from the Paralogue 'Ambivalence'. ****I know I said I didn't want anyone rushing into marriage, but the thought of Severa interrupting Gaius's proposal, and standing awkwardly by as her parents made out was just too fun of an idea to pass up. ****I hope Gaius/Cordelia didn't seem too rushed, as I tried to sprinkle mentions of their relationship around the previous chapters. Back story behind it was that they pretty much were a thing during the 2 year timeskip after the Plegia Arc.**

**This particular arc will be pretty long given that I need to go through all the kids meeting up with their parents and what not. Fear not! If you remember, Sage's Hamlet was also a battleground in the game!**

**Only 3 new future children this arc, so you'll have to wait until after the battle at the Mila Tree before more show up.**

**Kjelle's next up, wonder how that'll go...**

**I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Til next time!**


	15. Sage's Hamlet 3

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Sage's Hamlet 3**

"Good for them." Lucina said happily, watching over her friend engage in a loving moment with her mother.

"Yes! The triple threat has reunited!" Owain cried.

Kjelle rolled her eyes.

"Kjelle, do you wish to meet _your_ parents?" Lucina asked.

Kjelle nodded. "I don't really know how I'd go about it though. I mean, I can't just go 'I'm your daughter from the future.' "

Lucina deadpanned. "Actually, that's _exactly_ how it should it go. It's not as strange as you might think. Well, it is, but I'm confident the Shepherds are used to it by now. They accepted Owain and I without a second thought."

"I guess, but to be honest I don't even know where to find my mother. Sad as it may be, I kind of... forgot what she looked like." Kjelle said sadly.

"You forgot your mother?" Owain yelled.

Lucina punched his arm for his insensitivity.

Kjelle shook her head. "No, I remember my mother and all the time we spent together. It's just, her face is kind of hazy when I try to recall. I know for sure she has red hair."

"You remember your father right?" Lucina asked.

"Yes, a bit."

"No matter, I know where Sully is. Let's go," Lucina said as she led them towards the lodging house.

On their way there, they ran into Stahl himself.

"Oh hey! Lucina and Lon'qu junior." Stahl greeted.

"Hello uncle Stahl," the two said.

"You guys eat yet? The villagers are preparing a feast for us in a bit," Stahl said.

"No we haven't, thank you. But actually, there's someone here for you," Lucina said.

Kjelle stepped between her friends.

"Hi, I'm Stahl." he said holding out a hand.

Kjelle shook it. "It's nice to see you again father. I'm your daughter from the future." Kjelle said happily.

Stahl almost fell. "F-father? You're m-my daughter!?"

"That was much too blunt, Kjelle." Lucina said in disapproval.

"You said that was _exactly_ how it should go." Kjelle retorted, narrowing her eyes.

Stahl spoke up. "But, I'm not married yet!"

Kjelle pouted. "Well you better hurry then," she said, holding out the ring on her finger.

Stahl looked closer. "...That looks exactly like the one I saw at the store in Ylisstol!" he said with a blush. "You mean... she says yes?"

Kjelle nodded. "Of course. She said you were one of the first people that saw her as an equal, and she loved you for it." she said with a smile.

Stahl grinned. "Alright!" he exclaimed as he pulled Kjelle into a hug. "So we named you Kjelle?" he asked.

Kjelle hugged her father back. "Yep."

"Well aren't you a cute little thing. Judging by your grip, seems like it's safe to say you're tough as nails like your mother." Stahl said with a smile.

Kjelle blushed at the compliments. "Thank you, father. You were plenty strong too!" she said not wanting her father to feel like she thought he was second rate. She knew very well of the standards her mother held. "Maybe you'd like to spar sometime?" she asked.

Stahl ruffled her hair. "Sure, I'd love that. But we better go find your mother first." he said pulling her away towards where Sully was.

Robin passed by, noticing Stahl walking away with a girl in tow. "I sure hope that one of the other children was his daughter, or Sully'll kill him," he joked.

"That's correct," Lucina confirmed.

"There was another one if I'm not mistaken," Robin said.

"Cordelia and Gaius's daughter." she said.

"Really? I'm happy for them. Cordelia's really sweet, she deserves it. Gaius, well, I'm sure he appreciates her sweetness."

"Yes, so am I. Oh, Stahl said dinner would be ready, shall we go?"

* * *

><p>Kjelle stood outside the cabin the women would be staying in. Her father, Stahl, had gone in to call Sully. She fidget, wondering how her mother would take it. She remembered that Sully had always been quite rough. Despite the fact, she loved her mother and she loved her. She had always aspired to grow up as strong and proud as her mother, and even after she passes, she carried her legacy with her.<p>

The door to the lodging house opened. Sully stepped out and yawned loudly, stretching her arms. "Alright. Make it quick Stahl, I'm thinking of turnin' in early."

Stahl directed Sully's attention towards the armor clad girl leaning against the wall beside the door.

As soon as Kjelle saw her, her memories all snapped into place. This had to be her.

"Huh? Who's she?" Sully said disinterested.

Stahl scratched his head nervously. "She's... our daughter." he said with an awkward smile.

Sully snorted with laughter. "Hah! What kind of jape is this? That's not how you ask a girl out, fool."

Kjelle wore a dejected look. Seeing as her parents had not yet married, she had now way to prove to her mother that she was hers. She was fortunate enough her father recognized the ring, but Sully had yet to see it.

Seeing his daughter look so down, Stahl put on a serious face and grabbed Sully's shoulders. "Sully, I'm serious. She's our daughter." he said firmly.

Sully was caught off guard by his stern demeanor. "...You're not playing are you?" Sully turned towards the girl and let out a sigh. "You, get over here."

Kjelle obeyed, walking up so that her mother could get a good look at her.

Sully looked her up and down.

Kjelle played around with hem of her armor, uncomfortable with her mother's skeptical gaze. Sully grabbed her chin and lifted her face up to meet hers. Kjelle gulped, but decided to put on a brave face and stare her mother in the eyes.

Sully's face was blank, until, "Heh, I like what I'm seeing. Cute face, and judgin' by the way you're lugging around that armor, you're no pushover huh?" she said with a grin.

Kjelle nodded, hesitantly.

Sully laughed. "Guess I raised you good in the future." she said proudly.

"...you believe me?" Kjelle asked.

"Yeah, I'll bite."

"But, I've no way to prove it to you..."

Sully hugged the girl. "It's fine, I believe you. Call it mother's intuition or whatever, but I felt it when I looked into your eyes." she said with a smile.

Kjelle felt her eyes water. "...Mother..." She hugged her mother. She felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her reaction to her mother had been completely different to her meeting with her father. Whereas her father had always been easy going and understanding, her mother while loving, was always very critical of her. So when her hard headed mother had taken her word without so much as an ounce of proof, she had been overcome with emotion.

"Alright, settle down." Sully rubbed Kjelle's head before breaking away. "Looks like me and your _father_ have got a new sparring partner." Sully said looking back at the grinning Stahl.

Kjelle nodded happily at the prospect of training with her parents again. "R-right!"

"However, if I ain't satisfied with your performance, I just might disown you." Sully joked with a smile.

Kjelle smirked. "And if you don't live up to what I remember, I may just run away."

"Ha! I like you." Sully said, rubbing Kjelle's cheek.

Kjelle smiled warmly.

The three walked into camp to catch up.

The Shepherds shared greetings once again with the 2 new children. The village had thrown them a feast in thanks for their efforts against the Valmese.

* * *

><p>Robin roamed the village. He was bloated from the large meal and figured a brisk walk would do him some good. He spotted Bora wandering the dirt road.<p>

"Good evening. Robin was it?" Bora asked.

"That's right. Thanks again for the food."

"Think nothing of it. It's the least we could do to help the cause."

"We appreciate it. So about your village, you're all mages?"

"That's right. We think of this place as a small getaway, where we can conduct research in peace."

"This may sound a bit greedy considering all you're doing for us but, do you think you can give me a few pointers? I'm good enough with magic, but if the war progresses at this rate, I'm going to need to get a lot stronger to keep up with what the Valmese are throwing at us."

Bora's head bobbed in understanding. "I see. Very well, but first I will have to assess what you already know."

After Robin picked up his tomes from his tent, the two headed off towards Bora's cottage.

As they entered, Robin took note of the large amount of weapons, tomes, writings, charms, potions and staves scattered about the small living room. The stacks of books and papers in the corner alone were enough for him to get a grasp of how ambitious they were in their studies.

Bora pulled a seat for himself and Robin. "Let us start with your tomes. What types magic do you use?"

Robin sat down and cracked open a few tomes. "I'm partial to electrical types. Their speed and power are invaluable on the battlefield. Fire spells are useful for intimidation and do good damage, however there are some situation where I find them to be too much of a liability to make use of. I've recently acquired a Bolganone tome, but I haven't gotten around to transcribing it's contents. I hardly use wind magic, but as of late, I've found more and more ways to utilize it. It's ability to generate force has recently given me some interesting tactics. For one, I'm able to dramatically increase my mobility in short burst, as well as sail into the air."

"Using magic to assist in physical tasks? I'm quite impressed, it's an idea that I've heard none make use of."

"I'm just as surprised with the discovery myself. It came about during battle when I found my options limited to wind magic."

"Ha, necessity is the mother of all inventions after all. There's only so much you can learn through study, perhaps the battlefield is a suitable environment to foster inspiration." Bora said thoughtfully.

"Oh? Why not join us? You made it clear that you are opposed to Walhart's conquest. And I'm sure your people will be of tremendous help."

Bora laughed. "Excuse my arrogance for a bit and allow me to agree. But while we do oppose the Valmese, we enjoy our peace here."

"But how long will that peace last? Sure, your village has avoided notice but it's only a matter of time until the Valmese begin to further expand their hold of the continent. They'll begin to establish colonies and towns of their own. Your village won't stay secluded forever."

"I apologize if it seems we're turning a blind eye to world events, but can you blame us for wanting avoid the hardships of war?"

"I don't mean to come across as rude, but yes. You spoke of the people of Valm holding freedom in their hearts, yet you don't want to fight for it?"

"...I will... think about it... But for now, let's focus on you magic shall we?" Bora said, brushing aside the issue.

Robin was disappointed with their lack of initiative. It wasn't his place to say that they should fight, but it seemed a bit hypocritical that they valued freedom as much as they did, yet weren't willing to do anything about the Conqueror's reign. He chose not to press on the subject and instead focused on what he could learn from them.

Bora opened a tome. "Touching upon your new use of wind magic, there might be one spell that can be of use." He said as he turned the books contents to Robin.

Robin read the words inscribed on the pages. "...anima...wind...Forseti?"

"That's correct. It's a rare and extremely powerful wind spell, even more so than Rexcalibur. One of the 12 Holy Weapons. But the nature of it is more akin to that of the basic Wind spell in that it fires in a wide burst of wind. Since it's not a concentrated projectile, it's efficiency degrades the farther the target is. But with how you probably intend to use it, I'm sure that won't be a problem." Bora said with a smile.

"That's amazing. Do you mind of if I copy that tome's contents over into a blank one I have?"

"Not at all. That's why we're here."

Robin excitedly reached for the feathered pen on the desk. He neatly inscribed the contents of the Forseti tome into its new vessel. He chose a much smaller tome to better suit his new fighting style.

Bora leaned over with a sheet of paper, pointing out to a corner of the page. "Add this symbol at the end of the page your on. It should shorten the delay in starting up the spell. And this one here as well."

Robin did as he was told. After an hour of nonstop writing, he had successfully created a duplicate Forseti tome. Robin noticed Bora's original tome had begun to crumble. "W-what? Your time!"

"That is the nature of the Holy Weapons. There can only be one at any given time. With you having transferred my tome's contents, mine had been destroyed."

"Bora, you can't possibly let this be."

"Do not fret. You will need all the power you can get, correct?"

"...Thank you."

"Very good. Let's go outside, I'm sure you're just itching to try them out." Bora said, leaving the cabin.

The two stood in the field behind the home, outwards towards the forest.

"Let me demonstrate for you." Bora said with a smile. Robin handed him the new Forseti tome. Bora pulled his tome forward and aimed at the tree line. The book glew faintly before an incredible continuous stream of greenish wind jetted forward. It blew into the trees, shaking them furiously.

"Wow..." Robin said in awe. The power of the spell was staggering. Bora handed him the gripped it in his hand at aimed for the same trees. He launched his Forseti, the wind stampeding through forest.

"Ha ha, it's an amazing spell, isn't it?" Bora laughed.

"It truly is..." Robin smiled, looking down at the tome. "How can I ever thank you for bestowing this upon me?"

"For starters, perhaps you can show me this new manner of wind magic usage you talked about?"

Robin grinned. "Right." He aimed the tome downwards, unleashing a stream of the green wind downwards. Robin floated into the air, moving around as he changes the angle of his hand. With one final gust of wind, he landed softly onto the grass beside Bora. He aimed backwards and shot himself forward. He glided over the grass plains.

"Magnificent. You say you need power, but you more than make up for it with sheer ingenuity." Bora praised.

"Thank you. This spell, it's much easier to control my movements with it than the other wind spells. Probably because the wind it blasts is continuous rather than a momentary burst."

"That might very well be the reason. Let us take a short break before we continue. There's one more spell I wish to grant you."

"Sounds good, I'll meet with you later." Robin said. He bowed and headed back to camp.

* * *

><p>Robin sat by the warmth of the campfire, grinning like mad as he admired his new tome.<p>

"Robin? Where've you been?" said Chrom as he took a seat by Robin.

"Chrom. Bora was giving me some help with magic. You won't believe this new spell I have."

"You look about as giddy as a child on his birthday." Chrom laughed.

"Heh, I probably do."

"Say, Robin? I never got a chance to thank you for last night. You know, with what happened to Lucina and all."

"No need to thank me for that. As much as I was trying to qualm her fears about time travel, it was I who caused her episode to begin with."

"No, time travel is dubious affair. With enough pondering, she would have eventually come to that conclusion on her own. Thank you for looking out for my daughter, friend." Chrom said appreciatively.

"Then you're very welcome my liege." Robin joked.

"Ha, Lucina is quite stubborn. To think you got her up and going in only 20 minutes. What did you say to her anyway?"

"I told you, I knocked some sense into her."

Chrom narrowed his eyes. "You mean to tell me you hit my daughter?"

"No! I merely... provoked her. I mean, sure we got into a little duel, but I managed to get through to her in the end."

"Oh? So you settled the matter through battle? That's intriguing to say the least."

"Well at first yes. I managed to wear her down enough so that I could speak to her properly. After that, well... let's say she just needed a shoulder to cry on."

"I wasn't aware you two were _that_ close." Chrom said, as he jokingly began to crack his knuckles.

Robin laughed. "Spare me the jokes Chrom, I did what I'd do to any Shepherd. We have each other's backs right?"

"That's our code." Chrom smiled.

"...Be proud of her Chrom. She's one of our finest."

"Hah, oh I am."

"...You know, I wouldn't be surprised if she's got herself a nice boyfriend among the Shepherd's future children." Robin smirked.

"W-what? You seriously don't think that do you?!" Chrom blurted in panic.

Robin shrugged. "Who knows? She's quite the girl, and despite being your daughter, she isn't a child Chrom."

Chrom was nearly pulling his hair out. "Wait, wait, wait! You promised you'd help me! If such a dastard exists, we'll find him, and we'll kill him."

Robin howled with laughter. "Isn't that taking things a little too far? Sure, I'll help to make sure the guy knows his place, but I think Lucina can handle herself."

"This isn't battle we're talking about here, Robin! An enemy is one thing, but men... We're dogs! Oh gods, Lucina... Some snake could be... could be..."

"Ha ha! I was joking Chrom. But kudos to any man brave enough to pursue her with you looming over like that."

"W-what are you two talking about!?" A voice yelled. Robin turned to find that Lucina had come over to the campfire along with Owain, Severa and Kjelle, when she heard the ensuing conversation. She was trembling with embarrassment when she found her father and Robin speaking so scandalously about her. Her friends snickered at her outburst. "I demand you cease this nonsense at once!" Lucina fumed.

"Oh Lucina." Robin said casually as he waved them over. "I was just telling Chrom about the possibility of you having boyfriend from the future."

Lucina could see the evil twinkling in the Tactician's eyes. "You dastard! Father, don't listen to any of the garbage this fool spews out."

Chrom stared blankly into the fire.

"Owain, is there anyone like that among you?" Robin asked, ignoring Lucina's rant.

"Hmm, now that you mention it... lot's of guys in our group speak highly of Lucina. But whether that be only out of respect or it truly is the blossoming of youth, is the mystery of life itself!" he cried, arms to his chest.

"Maybe Inigo? That fool chases after anything wearing a skirt." Severa said with her arms crossed.

"Who's child is that?" Robin asked.

"Henry and Olivia's."

'Henry and Olivia's?' Robin tried to imagine this 'Inigo' hitting on Lucina. 'E-excuse me, L-Lucina? I was wondering... if you'd maybe want to try out some hexes with me sometime?' he pictured the man asking.

"Or Gerome? He followed Lucina around as badly as I've heard his father did to Chrom." Kjelle noted.

'No way, Frederick's son?' Robin pieced together. His imagination went rampant. 'Lucina, I've just prepared your laundry and made your bed. I've also taken measures to set up posters of you in the nude in everyone's tent in order to raise moral.'

Robin held his sides as he cackled. Before long, Severa and Kjelle joined in too, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to poke fun at their usually composed leader.

"What's with that face!? What did you just imagine?" Lucina cried as she jumped at Robin furiously, tackling him to the floor.

Robin pulled her into a bear hug. As she glared at him, he took note of how cute Lucina looked when she was embarrassed. 'This was so worth it.' he thought to himself.

"You really know how to piss a girl off don't you?" Lucina yelled, trying to free her arms.

The three new future children laughed at the sight. Chrom was still sulking about the thought of his daughter with a man.

"It was a compliment! We were talking about how wonderful you are!" Robin spoke, but the smile on his face could've easily been interpreted as mocking.

Lucina managed to pull free one of her arms. She attempted to slap the bigmouthed Tactician across the face.

Robin weaved his head through the strikes. "L-Lucina! It was just a joke!" he stammered. He caught Lucina's hands and held her still. "Alright, alright I'm sorry. I'll let you go, and you get a free shot. Just one! Deal?"

Lucina nodded, jaw clenched.

As he let go, Robin closed his eyes and braced for the strike. But it never came. He felt Lucina's hand firmly press onto his cheek and he opened his eyes.

"Consider this as thanks for yesterday." she said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes ma'am." Robin laughed awkwardly. Lucina got up to go clear the air with her father.

Robin dusted himself off and decided to head back to Bora's. He heard the sounds of footsteps trailing him. He turned his head to find Owain, Kjelle, and Severa following him. "What can I do for you three?" he asked as he walked.

"Don't act like we're following you for any reason. We just happen to have nothing to do right now with Lucina busy with her dad." Severa said.

"Still, you and Lucina must be pretty close if she let you off that easy." said Kjelle.

"Really? Eh, think of it more as mutual respect. Or disrespect." Robin said.

"Who are you anyway? I don't remember you being in the Shepherds." Severa asked sharply.

"Severa! Robin's our tactician. The one which our very lives depend on in battle!" Owain explained.

"So you must think you're pretty special don't you?" Severa huffed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty amazing." Robin said mockingly.

Owain and Kjelle chuckled as Severa pouted.

"Where you headed off to Robin?" Owain asked.

"To Bora's. He's teaching me some new magic."

"Awesome! I must see this. If you don't mind that is."

"No, not at all. You three know him more than I do, correct?"

They nodded.

The group headed up to Bora's house to find something amiss.

The door was wide open, lights off. The area was silent. As they made their way to the door they could make out someone's legs sprawled on the floor, hanging out the doorway. They bolted for the entrance to find Bora on the floor with 2 men clad in dark cloth robes searching through the desks.

"You..." Owain grit his teeth as he charged at the men. As soon as one of them turned around, he was run through by Owain's Killing Edge. The other assailant ran for the entrance. As he passed through the doorway, he was tripped by Kjelle's foot. The man fell to the floor where he was immediately flipped over and hoisted by his collar.

Robin looked at the assassin dead in the eye. "Who the hell are you?"

The man avoided Robin's glare. He reached into his pocket but his arm was grabbed away by Severa. "Don't think we're just going to let you get away you dastard." Severa spat.

Robin shook the man. "You... you're not Valmese are you? What are you after?"

The man looked to the side.

Something pierced through the air and dug it's way into Robin. Robin's grip waned from the pain surging through. He looked down to discover an arrow buried into his arm.

Seeing Robin distracted, the assailant grabbed Severa's arm with his free hand and pulled her into Robin, knocking them over. He quickly made for the treeline, presumably to where his allies lay in wait.

Robin and Severa quickly got up from the ground, scanning the area. They turned towards the forest, where they heard the rustling of footsteps.

"Damn, there's more of them. Have you got a weapon on you?" Robin asked Severa as he pulled out his tome with his uninjured arm.

"No, I left it back at the camp." She said, crouched down, anticipating any sudden movements.

"Severa was it? I'm going to assume that your mother taught you how to use a stave?"

Severa nodded. "For your arm? I don't have anything on me right now though..."

Robin his head towards Kjelle, eyes never leaving the forest. "You! There should be a few swords and a heal staff in Bora's house, grab some for yourselves and bring the staff over." Kjelle nodded and went inside.

Robin snapped his head back to the treeline, tome readied. The rustling in the bushes had halted, but with the number of enemies he guessed from the sounds, they had no reason to retreat just yet. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of multiple objects whistling through the air. A barrage of arrows flew out from the treeline towards them.

Robin fired his tome. "Foreseti!" The gale blew away the arrows from their flight path and crashed into the trees. Whoever was in hiding scrambled away, their footsteps could be heard fading away.

"They're gone, for now." Robin breathed, inspecting his wound.

"It was those damn bandits." Severa said as she clenched her fists.

"You know them?"

"Some jerk named Gecko and his cronies came into the village a few days ago and demanded the 'treasure' the sages were keeping. They attacked after Bora refused, but we kicked them to curb and they fled. Looks like they're still bitter over it."

"I'm assuming they just went to get reinforcements."

Severa nodded slowly.

Kjelle ran out and handed the staff to Severa.

Robin picked up a stick off of the ground and bit into it. He gripped the arrow that was in his arm and pulled. His teeth clenched onto to the stick, eyes watering. The arrow came out, as he spit the stick from his mouth and cursed.

Severa hurriedly healed the wound.

Robin rubbed over where the hole was. He moved around his arm to find it a bit numb. The arrow must have hit a few nerves. "Thanks... What happened to Bora?" he asked.

"He's... We can close up the wound but he's lost a lot of blood." Kjelle spoke softly.

"Damn it." Robin raced for the man. "Bora!" he cried, as he knelt down by Owain. Owain had flipped the bloodied man over and grasped his hand in his own.

"...Robin..." Bora coughed out. "...under my bed... take it...I'll trust it to you. Don't let them... get a hold of it..."

"Bora, take it easy. We're getting you to some help. Severa close his wounds, we're taking him back. you two, knock on every house and alert them of the situation. Tell them to meet us at the campsite."

Robin got up and went into Bora's room. He got down and reached around under his bed to feel a small chest. He pulled it out and opened it. Under a few sheets of paper was a black tome with yellow patterns on the cover.

"...Mjo..Mjolnir!?" Robin gasped as read through it's contents. He certainly didn't expect to come across another one of the 12 Holy Weapons here of all places, much less be given it. However, this was no time to dawdle over the fact. Robin shook off his amazement and focused on helping the injured man.

The four rushed to their assigned roles. Severa healed Bora and helped Robin carry him away. Kjelle and Owain went door to door and rallied the sages.

They would need to assemble their forces quickly before the real assault began.

Danger lay just beyond the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go. I find it increasingly difficult to write the Future Children's meetings with their parents as they kind of get repetitive.**

**Robin gets Forseti. Ingame it increases your speed and skill stat, so I figured it would be perfect for Robin's new style. Also Mjolnir! Time to kick ass!**

**Robin teasing both Chrom and Lucina this time around.**

**This chapter was more of a bridge to the real event happening in this arc which is the battle.**

**Til next time!**


	16. Sage's Hamlet 4

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: Here it is, the final chapter in the Sage's Hamlet Arc. It's a nice action packed chapter to end this part of the story with a bang! Enjoy!**

**Sage's Hamlet 4**

The Shepherds and Sages were gathered around the center of camp. They had been made aware of the enemy presence within the forest. Bora lay in the medical tent, his condition critical.

Robin strode over towards the campfire at the center of the crowd. "Okay everyone, we need to act fast. There's no telling how many of them there are and when they'll come back. We've only got around 60 men on our side, so stick together. Let me make it clear that I prohibit aerial units from taking off. They have numerous archers at their disposal, and if you hadn't notice, the treelines aren't that far away from the village and we're surrounded by it. As soon as you take off, you can be immediately shot down by them."

"So we act as cavalry like last time?" Cordelia asked.

"Right. Pegasus Riders join up with Frederick, Stahl, Sully and Cherche, if Minerva can manage on the ground." Robin confirmed.

"Minerva owns the skies, but we can make do down here as well so long as we're able to glide off the ground a bit." Cherche said with a nod.

"Very well, just don't ascend any higher than the houses and keep moving." Robin agreed. "Mages, no fire magic if the enemy is between you and the forest or the village. If we start a fire here, the village is as good as gone. Use wind magic and form a line to repel any arrows they fire over to us. Also, everyone be sure _not_ to follow them into the forest! That's their turf and there's no telling what traps they could have set up. We wait for them to head out into the field and do the fighting there. Despite this, their archers are going to be a real pain in the rear. They're sure to remain in the cover of the forest, trying to pick us off from a distance. If we don't deal with them, it'll cripple the rest of our forces. I'll need a skilled team to slip into the treeline and take them out."

Gaius raised a hand. "I heard the word 'skilled'? I'm your guy."

"I'll go too" Anna said.

Olivia and Lon'qu also joined the small team.

Robin clasped his hands together. "Perfect. Shouldn't be a problem for you four. Still, I urge you to take caution as to not alert them of your presence. The forest _is_ where their troops are stationed. If they find you, escape or you'll be overwhelmed. Your targets are only their archers. After you've taken out enough, join up back with our main force and notify them so our fliers can take off."

"Won't be an issue, Bubbles. After we take down a few, we'll don whatever uniform they've got on and blend right in."

"Taking a page from the Resistance, eh?" Say'ri smiled.

"Yeah, sounds fun." Gaius smirked.

Robin agreed to the plan. "Chrom takes lead of our main force as usual. Their goal is some 'treasure' at Bora's place, so naturally they'll be drawn to that area. Everyone take a moment to prepare and meet at the western end of the village."

The group scrambled to grab their weapons and armor.

Robin moved through the shifting crowd as he headed back to his tent to grab his sword. "Robin!" He turned his head to see Lucina frantically running up to him.

She grabbed his arm and inspected it. "How is it? Severa told me you were hit by an arrow." Lucina found the hole in his sleeve and rubbed over the area his wound once was.

"It's fine now. It didn't get in too deep and we patched it up fast. More importantly, did Maribelle have any news about Bora?"

Lucina clenched her jaw. "No, he's still out. His breathing... it's getting shallower."

"...Let's focus on neutralizing the threat." Robin said walking ahead.

"Robin..." Lucina said with concern. She followed right behind the man.

"...I'm fine. Are you geared up?"

"Yes, I'll stick by you this time around. You said their aim was Bora's house correct? Whoever's leading them is sure to be there. Take out their leader..."

"That's right, but let's not assume anything just yet. They're bandits after all. Even if their leader falls, I doubt they closely adhere to any organized hierarchy to begin with. He may call the shots, but after he's through, the spoils in town are fair game for anyone among their ranks."

"Then we wipe them out."

"If it comes to that, yes."

They followed the trail to the far side of camp where Robin's tent was set up. When they arrived, Robin motioned for Lucina to come in. She glanced around the room. She saw dozens of papers with magical symbols and maps scattered across his small desk. A certain book caught her eye. She went over to the desk and reached for it, observing the cover and flipping through its contents. Memories rushed through her head as she finally realized why the book had caught her attention. It had been one of her favorite books her mother had read to her as a child. She smiled as she reached an illustration of the princess hugging the heroic knight who had just saved her from the evil wizard. She remembered reenacting scenes from the story several times as a child. She often dressed up as the princess, laughing while she ran around the castle as her father, dressed as the wizard, chased her through the halls.

"Having fun with that?" Robin spoke.

Lucina felt guilty for allowing herself to reminisce during such an urgent situation. "I apologize. I remember my mother reading it to me as a child."

The smile that graced her lips when he caught sight of her was enough to confirm the book held some importance to her. "It's funny, it was Sumia who gave it to me. You can hold on to that if you want. I've read through it already."

"I-I couldn't possib-"

"It's fine. Who knows, maybe you'll be reading it to your own child one day." he said as he put on his favorite coat.

Lucina smiled softly at the thought of one day living such a normal life. "Thank you. Another reason to save the world, perhaps?"

Robin chuckled. "Alright, I'm all done here."

"Let's hurry back." Lucina set the book back on the desk. "I'll pick it up after."

"Right." Robin held the flap of the tent open for Lucina to walk out.

They jogged back, ignoring the trail and cutting through the field, straight for the village. Robin held out his hand in front of Lucina. "Wait... Do you hear that?"

Lucina stopped and halted her breath, trying to locate the sound Robin meant. She heard the sounds of footsteps towards town. Cicadas were chirping all around. She heard the sound of flapping. It was much too large and numerous to be any nocturnal bird or bat. She closed her eyes, trying to zero in on the sound. The soft flapping grew louder and louder until a unmistakable shriek pierced the night sky. "Wyverns." she gasped. Lucina broke into a sprint for the village.

"Wyverns?" Robin asked, catching up. "What kind of damn bandits do they have here in Valm?"

"Valm's home to countless wyvern nests and promontories. It wouldn't be too off to assume that even average people here have grown accustomed to the beasts." she breathed.

"We have to alert the others. Our mages need to direct their attention skywards before they can do any damage." Robin said sprinting ahead.

The sounds of the wyverns grew louder, a whole pack of them judging by the chorus of roars. The sound grew louder until they were right overhead. The group of over 10 riders flew towards the Shepherd's camp, attempting to pick off anyone illuminated by the light. One rider descended downwards towards the circle of tents.

"Like I'll let you," Robin spat as he readied his tome. He fired of a Forseti towards the beast. The wyvern was hit by blast of wind, and rolled across the air. It quickly recovered from its mid air tumble and flew back into the sky.

Robin grit his teeth. "Damn it... So this is the limit of Forseti's range."

Lucina heard whistling and looked up to find another rider dive bombing towards Robin. The bandit had found their position after Robin fired. "Robin, above!" she yelled.

Robin spared no time to look up, firing a second blast upward. The rider barrel rolled around the blast of wind, swooping into an arc to run down the Tactician. As the beast glided towards him, Lucina threw her Falchion into its side, sending the beast skidding across the grass.

She sprinted for the bandit trying to dismount. "Lucina!" Robin yelled to her as he tossed his Bronze Sword. She caught it then flipped into the air, slamming it into the bandit before he could escape.

"Nice one." she said, pulling out her Falchion from the wyvern's corpse. She tossed Robin his sword.

Robin caught it, shaking off the blood. "Thank Naga for that Falchion."

"Dragon slaying is its purpose after all."

Several more whistling sounds filled the sky. They looked up to see the rest of the wyverns now circling above them. The horde of beasts flew down one after the other, aiming to take out the two who had noticed their presence.

Robin decided it was about time to test out Mjolnir. He waited until they drew close.

"Robin, hurry!"

"No, not yet."

The wyverns dove down at tremendous speeds. Robin finally took aim, but before he could fire, several bolts of lightning ripped through the sky, cutting through the descending swarm of terrors.

The wyverns pulled back into the sky, those that had been fried, plummeted to the ground around them.

Robin looked towards the source of the assault. Four Sages ran towards them. "Hurry to the others, you're ripe for the picking standing out here in the open. We'll hold them off." a Sage said.

"Are you certain you can manage?" Lucina asked, unsure.

"Have some faith in us. As frail as we appear, the same cannot be said about our magic." the Sage said with a grin before turning her attention back towards the night sky.

"Lucina, let's go!" Robin said as he tugged on her arm.

They dashed across the field, sounds of the Sages blasting the wyverns echoed from behind. Robin peeked back to see the enemy units crashing down to the ground. But there were far too many. The Sages fired off continuously, trying to keep up with the enemies. They took out about half before another group of riders joined the fray. The Sages were swarmed and taken out.

"Shit..." Robin grimaced as he heard the sounds of his comrades crying in pain as they were torn up by the enemy. The wyverns swooped towards them, having dealt with the Sages.

Robin looked across the field. They had a lot of distance to cover. Perhaps their little shortcut had proved to be the longer route. He ran up to Lucina, grabbing her arms and setting them around his waist.

"What are you doing?"

"Just hold on." he said, stuffing away his Mjolnir and reaching for the other. Lucina tightened her hold on him as they ran.

Robin aimed his arm backwards at an angle. He fired Forseti, jetting them across the field. They flew over in large bounds, Robin firing another shot downwards whenever they descended to lift them back into the air.

A wyvern caught up to them, poised to slash at the two. Lucina grabbed her Falchion. Robin use for Forseti to blow them towards the beast at it cocked its head back to bite at them. Lucina slashed out at it. The Falchion ripped across the wyvern's face, causing it to shriek in pain and yield.

They sailed through the air over the houses of the village. With a final blast of wind downwards, they landed at village's center, in front of the others.

"Were you just flying?" Gaius said in shock.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Vaike asked.

Vaike's question was answered as a group of the pursuing wyverns soared above the town.

"They've got dragons too?" Chrom asked in frustration.

"Splendid. Perhaps Minerva can find a suitable mate among them." Cherche smiled.

Frederick shook his head. "This is hardly the time to be playing such games, Cherche. They're the enemy."

Virion took an arrow from his quiver. "Have no fear. Even the largest of beasts fall to my pin point accuracy." he said proudly, pulling back on his bow and taking aim at whatever poor soul was caught in his sights.

"Oy! We've got a whole bunch of those dastards pouring in from the west!" Sully yelled.

"Everyone, get in positions! Be vigilant, they're coming from the west now, but another wave could easily catch us from anywhere in the forest." Robin ordered.

The Shepherds moved over towards the western end of the town to fend off the assault, the mages trailing behind, shooting down the wyvern circling above.

Lucina turned to Robin. "We're headed for Bora's," she reminded.

"That's right."

"We're coming along." a voice demanded.

Owain, Severa and Kjelle stood by, fully equipped for battle.

"Are you sure? Your parents are out in the field." Robin stated.

"What? You think they can't handle themselves? We're going to avenge Bora whether you like it or not." Severa said.

"We can fight along our parents later. You two _are_ going after that dastard behind all of this right?" Kjelle asked.

Owain gripped his blade. "It is for that reason we must join you. That vile miscreant Gecko... He shall rue the day he set foot in this peaceful village. M-my... sword hand... it demands... JUSTICE!" Owain yelled, anger burning in his eyes.

"Alright, we can use the help." Robin said, headed towards Bora's cabin.

The group of five walked the dirt road between the lines of houses. Owain stopped. "Halt. I believe they've already made their way into town." he said, pointing towards the roofs.

Robin looked above the houses to find numerous silhouettes crouching above the rooftops. He pulled out his sword and tome. He scanned around and found a house with only three foes sitting atop. "Owain, how would you fare against three?"

"That's hardly enough to satiate my needs..." Owain said, hand trembling on his sword's hilt.

"The house to the south, you're up." Robin said getting behind him and readying his tome.

"By gods, am I going to fly?" Owain asked with a hint of excitement that betrayed his serious demeanor.

"Yeah, stick the landing though." Robin said as he blasted Owain up and over to the roof.

The three Bandit Assassins had no idea how to react to the young man now flying towards them. Owain landed on the slanted edge of the roof, shingles coming loose. He slid on the shingles down the side of the roof towards the three men. The Assassins pulled their blades up, preparing to strike at the man when he slid by. Owain kept his hand on his sheathed sword's hilt, analyzing the enemies' stance as he inched closer and closer. The Assassins raised their swords. 'Now!' Owain thought as he slid between the men. He drew his blade into a spinning slash, cutting all three down before they could even bring down their own swords. Owain stabbed his sword into the rooftop and held his ground. The three assassins fell to the roof tilings and rolled off into the ground below. Owain hopped onto another nearby roof.

The other Assassins, upon seeing three of their own taken out in an instant, leapt off the rooftops to attack the four below.

"Here they come." Lucina said as she got into her stance, the tip of her Falchion pointed forward.

Two Assassins charged at the princess. Lucina trained the Falchion's tip on her target and sprung forward with her immense leg strength. She zipped past the Assassin at the front and skewered the other behind him. She pulled her Falchion out from her crouched position and swung it into a large arc behind her. Like she had predicted, the surviving Assassin had turned around and leapt at her as she killed his ally, but jumped straight into her counter attack. Lucina hopped up to her feet.

Robin was sidestepping the controlled slashes of his foe, waiting for a change in his attack pattern. The Assassin struck with rapid, precise blows with a single hand. As soon as he pulled his blade back and gripped it with his other hand, Robin rolled forward and slashed him with an upwards swipe. Another came running at Robin from the side but was speared by a Steel Lance. Robin looked over to see Kjelle grinning. "Behind you!" he yelled.

Kjelle snapped her head back to find an Assassin in the air, ready to bring down his blade on her head. She turned to her side, leaned over and raised her shoulder, taking the blow with her armor. The Assassin's blade bounced off of Kjelle's thick shoulder plate. Kjelle grabbed the man by his collar. "That's the trade off when you train to be so damn sneaky. You lack real strength." she spat as she pulled back her other arm and slammed a heavily armored fist into the man's jaw. The man exhaled from the force and crumpled to the floor.

"Kjelle!" Lucina called as she tossed her back her lance. She caught her weapon and went to deal with another bandit.

Severa was reflecting the strikes of her foe. She found her back pressed to the wall of a house. The Assassin pulled his arm back, and cut into a horizontal slash. Severa ducked underneath it, the Assasin's sword embedding itself into the home's thin walls. Severa kicked forward from her crouched stance and hit the man in the groin. The man doubled over. "Say goodnight, you pig." Severa said angrily as she stabbed into his back.

The enemy platoon was dropping like flies. The remaining three foes retreated down the dirt road.

Robin pulled out his Arcthunder tome and fired. The bolt struck in between the three men, frying one and sending the others crashing onto the ground.

Owain jumped off the rooftop and buried his sword into one, while Severa followed up on the last.

Severa pulled her bloodied sword out in disgust. "And just where were _you_ while all this was going on? Think you're a hotshot 'cause you got the first three kills?" she asked Owain with irritance.

"I was taking care of all the ones up there!" Owain said pointing to the top of the houses.

"Hmph, so you'd rather spend time with a bunch of bandits than fight alongside me?" Severa asked as she glared at him.

"Y-you can't be serious... Fine, I shall make it up to you by offering myself, as your personal elite guard for this mission. Rejoice, my dear friend, for a hero of my standing will surely render all enemies paraly-"

"Ahh, save it." Severa huffed, walking over to the others.

Owain sighed, sheathing his Killing Edge.

"That was quite the ambush. But still, I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that their Wyvern Riders are occupied with the mages." Lucina stated.

"Let us do our best to remain out of their attention. Quickly now, Bora's house is just up the road." Robin instructed.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds and Sages clashed with the bandit forces pouring out from the forest.<p>

Within the cover of trees, four figures silently creeped through the enemy lines.

Gaius, Olivia, Lon'qu and Anna moved through the forest, sticking to the cover of the many trees and bushes, homing in on where they could hear bowstrings being released. They stopped behind some shrubs to spy a group of six Assassins taking aim for the Shepherds on the field.

"Alright, we're in luck. Six dead bandits means enough disguises for us to stop sneaking around." Gaius whispered, as he readied his sword.

"Everyone pick a target. We take them out at once. I've got the two on the far left." Anna ordered, creeping closer.

"...I guess I'll take the one beside them." Olivia whispered.

"I'll take the one next to that." Gaius said, getting ready to quietly climbing up the tree to a spot above the enemies.

"The remaining two are mine." Lon'qu said as he readied his own bow.

"Shall we begin as soon as Lon'qu fires?" Olivia asked.

They nodded in confirmation and readied themselves.

Lon'qu pulled back his bowstring, two arrows loaded in, and aimed for the targets on the far right. '1, 2, 3!' He released and the arrows flew and dug themselves into the Assassins' backs.

The other four Assassins turned to their fallen comrades but were immediately pounced on by the three Shepherds.

"Hee hee, that was easy." Anna smiled, as she patted the dead bandits down for any loose change. She found a pouch of bullion and stuffed it into her small bag.

"And it's about to get easier." Gaius smiled mischievously as he wrapped the cowl and cloak of a fallen Assassin around him.

The other three followed suit, observing one another.

"Keep your hoods up and that should do the job just fine." Lon'qu noted.

Now donning the clothing of the enemy, they picked up the enemies' bows to complete the look. The group of 4 ran through the forest, scanning for another team of archers.

They came across 5 more, taking aim at a group of Sages.

"Let's see how well these disguises work." Lon'qu said walking up to the group, Anna right behind.

One of the Assassin's turned around at the sound of footsteps. He saw Lon'qu and Anna approaching them. "What're you two doing? Don't tell me the rest of your team's been taken out?"

Lon'qu nodded as he and Anna crouched behind them.

The Assassin scoffed. "Now I've gotta babysit too." He mumbled in annoyance, turning his attention back to the battlefield.

Lon'qu looked to Anna. Anna smiled toothily as she pulled out her blade. "Cha-ching!" she said with delight as she cut down the four men from behind with two swift slashes. As they fell to the ground, she once again searched their pockets for gold. "This is gonna make me rich!" she squealed.

The small infiltration team, now having confirmed their disguise's effectiveness, scoured the forest, eliminating all enemies while in plain sight.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds fought valiantly against the enemy. Chrom led through example, fiercely cutting through a mob of bandits. He stood above the crowd of fallen enemies, gazing at a single hulking man, slowly trekking up the hill towards him. Chrom readied his blade.<p>

"Leave this one to me, Chrom!" said Stahl as he rode past him. Stahl galloped straight for the Berserker, his Silver Lance ready to spear him.

The Berserker glared at Stahl, gripping the massive hunk of steel in his right hand.

Stahl thrust his spear for the man's chest. The Berserker lifted his mighty Imposing Axe into the air, and brought it down with both hands, slamming the lance downwards and burying it into the ground.

With his lance trapped beneath the axe, Stahl was left weaponless. The Berserker pulled Stahl off his mount, stomped onto him. Stahl cried in pain as the Berserker's foot slammed into his face. Stahl looked up, vision a blur, making out the man lifting his foot once more only to bring it down once again. Before the foot could meet his face, the large man grunted as a sword pierced through his midsection.

Chrom tried to pull the Falchion out, but the Berserker, showing no sign of dropping dead, spun and backhanded the prince.

"You little shit!" the Berserker roared, groaning as he pulled the sword from his body. He breathed heavily before looking back at Chrom, who was shuffling to his feet. "Nice sword you got here. I'll make sure the last time you see it is when it's goes right for that neck of yours." he yelled as he charged.

Chrom reached for his Rapier that he kept as a side arm. He waited for the man to come close, Rapier held at the side of his head, pointed forward.

The Berserker swung the blade upwards from the ground and into a horizontal slash. Chrom merely lifted his knee into the blade's path. "Your leg is mine, boy!" The Berserker bellowed as he pulled the slash through.

The Falchion made contact with the armor plating on Chrom's leg. However, instead of cleaving through the armor like it normally would have, Falchion merely slammed into and bounced back off the leg, Chrom only stumbling slightly from the impact.

"What kind of piece of shit sword is this?" the Berserker yelled as he recoiled from the reflection of his blow.

Chrom dashed at the hulking man. "The kind that dulls in the hands of scum like you!" he yelled as he shoved his Rapier through the man's neck.

The Berserker gurgled, the blood flowing freely down his throat.

Chrom pulled his Rapier out of the dying man and retrieved his Falchion. After feeling his blade had regained its original strength, he ended the Berserker with one final strike.

"...Thanks...Wouldn't want my daughter seeing her dad's face anymore messed up... " Stahl wheezed as he walked up with his horse. He had a large cut above his right eye, blood dripping down his face.

"You're injured!" Chrom said, helping his friend back on his horse.

"Heh, this? Nah, it's just a small gash." Stahl said cheekily.

"Ride back towards Libra or Maribelle and get that fixed up." Chrom ordered as he ran to help Say'ri with a grounded wyvern.

Down the hill, Miriel who was busy destroying the wyvern's above, had unknowingly wandered a distance away from the other mages. A wyvern swooped down to pounce on her, but she repelled it with a blast of Wind. The wyvern was pushed backwards, but before it could assume a position to strike again, Miriel had expertly swapped tomes for the more superior Arcwind and fired only mere seconds after her first attack. The blade of wind ripped through the air and sliced into the wyvern's vulnerable midsection, its flapping wings going limp as it fell to the ground. She adjusted her glasses as she observed the now motionless enemy.

She was suddenly tackled to the ground, and gasped as her back slammed onto the grass. She looked up to see the underside of another wyvern zoom right over her. She was pulled up from her laid down position and fell into someone's chest. She looked up to find Vaike grinning. "I say, that's hardly anyway to be treating a woman you musclebound behemoth." she said as she brushed the grass from her back. She looked up to the man and smiled. "But thank you, Vaike..."

Vaike let out a chuckle as he readjusted her favorite hat on her head. "Ya really shouldn't be out here by yourself."

Miriel looked around to discover the group she was with at the other end of the field. "I... I apologize." she said.

Vaike ran back towards the battle, looking back at her. "Better not get yourself hurt out there!" he yelled. His eyes widened as he saw Miriel take aim right for him. "M-Miriel? What're ya doin'?"

Miriel fired an Arcthunder. 'You fool.' The lightning whizzed straight for Vaike who had no time to react.

Vaike, who was panicked by the action did the only thing he could; Close his eyes. The sounding of lightning drew closer and he heard it explode violently. Yet he was untouched. He heard a pained roar behind him followed by a thud. He opened his eyes and turned to find a dead wyvern. He redirected his attention back to Miriel who smiled slyly at him. Vaike waved in thanks, laughing awkwardly as he went his way.

Miriel smiled softly at the man before heading back towards her own group.

Across the field, Cherche and Minerva were consumed by the heat of battle. Minerva swept her tail across the field, swatting away three Bandit Myrmidons. Cherche caught sight of an Assassin who had leapt back from the tail whip and swapped his sword for a bow. Before the man could adjust his aim, she threw a Tomahawk which cut deep into the man's chest.

Cherche grinned, but nearly fell off her seat on Minerva as a wyvern crashed into them.

"Minerva!" she yelled. Minerva recovered from the bash and stood straight up, before launching her long head towards the enemy. She bit into the enemy wyvern's shoulder, resulting in a thunderous roar. The enemy wyvern lifted one of its legs and attempted to pry off the hold Minerva had on it. The two beast fought for control over the other, pushing each other back and forth in between several snaps of their jaws. Cherche released the reins on Minerva and crawled up behind her scaly neck, Silver Axe in hand. In between the flurry of wyvern heads snapping to and fro, she could make out the enemy rider tugging on his mount's reins.

She ran up Minerva's neck and leapt onto the opposing wyvern rider's seat. The man gasped as he saw Cherche fall from above. Cherche swung her axe around and sliced the man's neck. She pulled it out and drove it into the base of the wyvern's neck. The wyvern's head straightened upwards as it cried in pain.

Minerva cocked her head back before lashing out and crunching into the enemy wyvern's exposed throat. The beast went limp in Minerva's death grip.

Cherche hopped off and ran her hand along the dead wyvern's rough skin in sympathy before mounting Minerva once more.

"The archers are down!" a voice yelled. She turned to find Gaius and the others had returned to the battlefield and were now alerting their forces of their team's success. Cherche smiled and petted Minerva. Minerva spread her wings and with a powerful beat, took to the air to reclaim the skies.

* * *

><p>Outside, Bora's house Robin's team of future fighters were repelling the forces that leapt out from the forest. Like he had guessed, they were after the 'treasure' Bora possessed. Robin put one and one together and believed that said treasure was the Holy Weapon Mjolnir which was now in his possession. Although the risk of it being stolen was neutralized so long as he himself lived, he knew that Bora's house was packed with valuable knowledge on magic, which in the wrong hands could be a danger to anyone in the countryside.<p>

Robin faced off against a Bandit Barbarian, who took a moment too long to lift and bring his Steel Axe down. Robin capitalized on the powerful yet slow strike, and circled the man with precise footwork. Robin effortlessly cut through the man's back and immediately focused on the 2 Myrmidon closing in. He sheathed his Bronze Sword and pulled out two tomes.

The Myrmidons dashed at the Tactician from opposite sides and slashed, but with a blast of green wind, found their blades literally cutting into air. They looked up to find Robin above them. Robin thrust the tome in his other hand forward and blasted the two below with an Arcthunder.

As he sailed back down, he swapped Arcthunder for his Bronze sword, and blasted Forseti once more behind him as he touched the ground. The green wind drove Robin forward and into a Berserker meters away. Robin pierced the man in the heart, and fired his Forseti at the skewered man. The blast of wind slid the Berserker's body out from around Robin's sword and flying into the field.

"For a guy a who's main job is cooking up strategies, you're one hell of a fighter." Kjelle said to Robin as she slammed the side of her lance into a Barbarian.

Severa stabbed the downed man in the chest. "I'll admit you could handle yourself in a fight... BUT don't get cocky." she said with a grin.

Robin narrowed his eyes at Severa. "Why does it feel like I'm being talked down to by some kid..."

Severa flushed. "I'm NOT a kid! I'm only a few years younger than you in this timeline!"

Robin paid her no heed as he blocked an incoming axe strike. With his sword locked against the axe's blade, he slipped his body underneath his sword and to the side of the Barbarian. He pulled his sword away from the lock, the Barbarian who had been pressing down on the now gone sword fell forward from his own force. Robin buried his sword into the base of the man's neck, killing him.

A wyvern rose from the trees and headed towards Bora's house. "I could use a lift!" Robin heard Lucina yell from behind him. She dashed straight towards Robin and took to the air above him. Robin fired his Forseti from beneath her, launching her straight for the Wyvern.

Lucina pierced Falchion into the beast's side, and pulled herself up with the embedded sword. Catching the rider by surprise, she grabbed and pulled him off. The wyvern was spazzing out from the loss of its rider. Lucina pulled her Falchion out of it and tugged on its reins, urging the beast towards a group of five bandits. As they struggled through the air, slowly flying towards the the group of enemies, Lucina slammed the tip of her sword deep into the wyvern. It cried out and ceased its flapping. The large beast fell out of the sky and crashed down onto the enemies below. Lucina slowly got up, recovering from the force of the impact.

Kjelle let out a laugh and looked to Robin. "You've got a ways to go until you're at _that _level though."

Severa smiled haughtily at him.

"Like she could've done that without me!" Robin yelled lamely, rewarded with laughter.

Lucina regrouped with them. "It's as if there's no end to them." she said, referring to the seemingly endless waves of enemies rushing from the treeline.

Robin chuckled. "Come on princess, don't get tired on us now. Your friend's over here think I can't keep up and I can't prove them wrong unless you're actually fighting."

Lucina raised a brow at the sound of a challenge. "And they're right to think so." she said with a smile.

"Heh." Robin muttered with an annoyed smile.

"Hey, where the heck's Owain?" Severa asked with concern.

* * *

><p>A man clad in a black cloak wandered Bora's home. He managed to slip in undetected as his men threw themselves at the group on guard outside. He shuffled through a stack of tomes on a table. He read over the patterns on each's cover, tossing aside the ones that didn't match the image in his head. "Where the hell did they go and hide it?" he spat to no one in particular as he opened a few cabinets.<p>

As he threw out the contents on the shelves inside, he heard the sound of a foot crunching on the many papers scattered across the floor. He instinctively dropped to the ground and avoided a lethal chop that ripped through the cabinet doors.

He whipped to his feet, spinning around with his blade to meet the gaze of a blonde haired man glaring into his eyes.

"Gecko..." Owain breathed. He had blocked the man's attack, leaving them at a stand still.

"Ha, you're that lunatic kid who wouldn't shut up about all that storybook nonsense." Gecko grinned mockingly.

"Bora, he deserved none of this! No one in this village did!" Owain yelled, pushing his blade.

Gecko pushed back. "Oh? None of your fanciful speak? Seeing as you finally want to talk like a big boy, let me tell you something kid. They did deserve it. Why? They were arrogant. Arrogant and greedy. They must've thought themselves as real pieces of work with their magic and what not, but they don't even do anything with it! All powerful Sages, yet all they do is sit around being 'good hosts' for whatever sucker prances into this stinkin' dump? Please. We've got the Valmese wrapping their hands around us like they own the place and these people aren't doin' jack squat about it! I'm takin' this power they've got hidden away for myself and puttin' it to some real use. I'm not the bad guy here kid. I'm just appreciating that power the gods bestowed upon us mortals."

Owain shoved his blade forcefully. "That's a load of shit if I've ever heard any. You just want to take advantage of its power to plunder more helpless settlements."

Gecko smiled. "Bwa ha! I'll admit, with all the damages your people are doing to my gang, we just might have to get a town or two to reimburse us. But that's your fault, not ours."

"SILENCE YOU SLANDEROUS WRETCH!" Owain boomed. "You wish for me to believe that you're merely trying to set right the wrongs these Sages have allegedly done? Spare me your twisted words you heartless villain, for if it is _justice_ you seek, I shall be the one to hand it to you!" he cried as he slid his blade past Gecko's and ran towards the side.

"There it is, that terrible condition of yours." Gecko scoffed as he hopped backwards.

Owain ran across the small room, leaping off of the walls and slamming his blade into Gecko.

Gecko blocked the strike, quickly unlocking their blades and thrusting forward at Owain.

Owain sidestepped, the blade only slightly grazing his ribs. He shot a hand out towards the desk beside him and grabbed a vase, tossing it towards Gecko.

Gecko pulled his sword back and sliced the incoming object. As his view of the vase split into two, it revealed Owain closing in with a downward slash.

Gecko was slow to react to the follow up, earning his left arm a deep cut. He gasped in agony, but retaliated with several blind slashes at Owain.

Owain slowly backed up to the wall, Gecko advancing towards him. With one final strike, Gecko swung his sword into Owain's and kicked forward, foot slamming into Owain's thigh, pinning the young man against the wall.

Owain grunted as the heel of the foot pressed deep into his leg. He killed the strength in his legs, causing his weight to drop him to ground. As Owain fell, he slid his free foot across the floor and swept the single leg Gecko had been supporting himself with.

The two fell to floor, but with Owain having done it intentionally to drop his foe, he recovered quickly and stabbed his blade down onto Gecko's face.

Gecko pulled his head to the side, away from the blade as it dropped and dug itself into the floorboards. Gecko swung his sword at Owain who jumped back from the strike and onto the wall, kicking off and flipping to the other end of the room.

Owain grabbed one of Bora's swords that was leaned against the wall.

Gecko got up and pulled Owain's Killing Edge out of the ground, training his two blades on the man.

Owain analyzed his surroundings as Gecko crept forward. As Gecko ran in to strike, Owain kicked the coffee table in front of him towards the bandit leader. The table slid across the floor, its edges colliding with Gecko's shins. Gecko yelped at the stinging pain in his legs, wincing.

Owain ran forward, leaping off the coffee table and kneeing Gecko in the face. His knee slammed into Gecko's nose, the blow to his head sending him reeling back to the wall. With one final thrust, Owain piercing through Gecko's heart with Bora's sword and into the wall behind.

Blood sputtered out of Gecko's mouth as he dropped the weapons in his hand. Strength left his legs as he slowly collapsed, being held up by the sword through his heart.

Owain dropped to his knees and reached for his Killing Edge as he panted heavily. He looked around the room, taking in the mess he had made of Bora's house during the fight. He could only hope Bora would forgive him if he helped clean up.

After having caught his breath, he slowly got up and headed back outside.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds and village Sages had turned the the tides, less and less bandits were running out onto the field.<p>

"Those fiends are all grouping together near Bora's house! We've got them on the defensive, finish them off!" Chrom yelled. Sumia swooped down and let Chrom onboard her pegasus. They took off as they led their forces towards the bandits.

Lon'qu and Virion kneeled side by side, launching arrows at the retreating figures. The mages stood beside them, firing off a hail of spells in support.

The Shepherd's cavalry ran down the enemy as Cordelia and Cherche shot down those who dove out of the way with their Javelins and Tomahawks.

All forces on the battlefield were now gathered around Bora's home.

Sumia and Chrom landed by Robin and the Future Children. "So this is where you were." Chrom said, as he lent them a hand with taking down a troublesome Berserker.

"Owain managed to take out their leader," Robin breathed as he ducked under the Imposing Axe that attempted to cleave him in two. He fired his Forseti at the brute who had lifted the massive axe back over his head.

As the Berserker tried to resist the fearsome wind, Chrom dove in front of Robin and into the Forseti's stream. Chrom was blown forward into the large man and sliced across his chest. "Then it's only a matter of time before they retreat." Chrom said as he got up.

"I wouldn't be so sure just yet." Robin said as he spotted a black mass ascending from the forest. The sound of dozens of familiar, yet dreaded beats echoed across the sky.

"You can't be serious! How many of those blasted things do they have?" Chrom yelled.

"He he, Gregor no find this cute anymore." Gregor laughed nervously.

"Ch-Chrom? Robin? What do we do?" Lissa gasped.

Donnel adjusted his pot helm as his hands shook. "Aw hell, I don't reckon no amount of scarecrows'll be enough to fend all of those winged vermin."

"Oh my, if only this weren't a battle, Minerva would have just too many new playmates." Cherche noted.

A massive wave of over forty wyverns made way for the battlefield.

The Shepherds and Sages took sight of the cloud of enemies and hesitantly backed up.

"Everyone fall back into the town! If we're near the houses they can't just come at us from every direction!" Chrom ordered. Their forces slowly moved back into town. Chrom saw Robin headed to the field, towards the advancing air troops. "Robin! I ordered us to pull back!" Chrom yelled.

"Don't worry, I've got something up my sleeve." Robin said confidently, his march unwavered.

"Robin, don't be stupid! What are you doing?" Lucina cried, running up to him.

"They came here for the Sage's treasure, so I'm giving it to them." Robin pulled out the mighty Mjolnir, gripping it tightly as he aimed for the center of the wyvern swarm.

The wyvern's were nearing closer to them. The Shepherds did have a chance at victory despite the odds, but with the sheer number of enemies descending upon them, the amount of possible casualties even with a win, was not something Robin wanted to accept.

Lucina looked up at the cloud of beasts that blotted the sky. "Robin, now?"

"Now." he said as he unleashed Mjolnir's power. The tome glew brightly with a vibrant yellow aura. The light increased by the second before vanishing in an instant.

Lucina clenched her fist at the outcome. "What was tha-" Her words were interrupted as a large, thunderous boom, cracked through the sky, overtaking the sound of the wyvern's beating wings.

The sky lit up with a brief flash, then in complete silence, a single massive column of lightning fell from the heavens towards the center of the enemy fliers. The single giant bolt alone struck nearly ten of them, before the otherworldly amount of electrical energy created a deadly chain that lept from wyvern to wyvern, annihilating every last one.

All forces on the ground, both Shepherd, Sage and Bandit, looked up at the veritable spiderweb of electricity in the sky, in awe.

The forty wyverns proved far too little to contain the immense energy of Mjolnir, electricity leaping out of the wyverns at the ends of the formation and scattering across the sky.

After the show of lights died down, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air as the enemy units dropped to the ground in a hail of thuds.

Whatever bandits remained on the field thought it wise not to pursue this village any longer and retreated into the forest.

Robin stared down at Mjolnir to notice the pattern on its cover glowing with the same yellow light as before. A few lines of the pattern on the ends of the cover grew dim and faded into nothingness. As the book returned to normal, Robin inspected the cover to find that not only had the glowing lights on the outer section of the book had disappeared, but the actual line of patterns which lights died out had completely vanished from the book. 'Could this signify the amount of uses?' Robin thought to himself. He had pondered why Forseti was not restricted in such a way. He came to the conclusion that it to be for the best. Such a weapon was tempting to abuse and what more, after observing the nature of the attack, Robin judged that few situations would allow its use without collateral damage. He slightly shuddered at thought that had Mjolnir been any more powerful, it's unbridled electrical energy may have bore its fangs towards the Shepherds as well. This was definitely not a spell to be taken lightly, Robin decided, agreeing with the fact that it has earned its spot among the 12 Holy Weapons.

As Robin snapped out of his reflective state, he realized his deep thought had blocked out the chorus of cheers now surrounding him.

The Shepherds all reached out to their Tactician, shaking his shoulder, patting his head and back, as they praised him for pulling through on the clutch.

The cheers died down as a certain man, shambled across the fields to the crowd.

"Bora! What are you doing? You're in no condition to be moving about!" a Sage yelled as he ran to the man's side.

Bora coughed, spewing out blood. The crowd parted as he slowly made way to Robin.

"...Robin..." Bora coughed out.

Robin ran forward and helped to hold the pale man up.

"..Robin... you keep that with you... I trust you won't... take it's power for granted..."

"Bora... we'll talk more later. We need to get you to bed." Robin said with concern.

Bora removed Robin's arm from around his shoulder and shook his head. "No... My time here is almost up...I can feel it." he said, pressing a hand to where the deep cut in his chest had been. "It hit... something.. vital...it healed up but... the damage is already... done." he wheezed.

Owain, Severa, and Kjell cut through the crowd to meet their dying friend with anguished faces.

"Bora... I'm sorry.." Owain sniffed.

"...It's none of your faults... Be strong, young ones... you're all too important... to the future to have something... like this keep you down..." Bora said with a smile, before falling to his knees.

"Master..." a Sage breathed, tears streaming down her face.

Bora turned to his fellow Sages. "...Friends... fight... Defeat the forces that... wish to steal Valm's... freedom... Freedom, our way of life... earn it..." he said with one final smile, before the light left his eyes.

Robin caught Bora as he fell forward, lightly setting the man down on the ground.

Kjelle and Severa sobbed quietly, Owain wrapping his arms around both of them.

Bora had taken up practicing conventional weaponry, only for the purpose that Kjelel had another person to spar with.

He took all of Severa's rude remarks in stride, merely patting the girl on the head as they carried on with their conversations.

He had entertained Owain's theatrical outbursts, only feeding the man's curiosity with ancient texts depicting legends of old.

In the year and a half the three 'children' had been here, Bora had given them a place to call home.

The crowd silently lowered their heads, paying respects to all of their comrades who had lost their lives during the battle.

* * *

><p>Robin sat in his tent, staring down upon the two tomes Bora had given him. The village Sages, in compliance with their leader's dying wish, would align themselves with the Resistance and Ylisseans against the Valmese. Even if they had chosen to stay, as soon as the Shepherds left, it was only a matter of time before their village would once again be ravaged by the surviving bandits.<p>

There was no celebration of victory, for the battle itself held no meaningful purpose for their side. Death merely swept over the Sage's peaceful village that night, a swathe of it's inhabitants lost to the greed of the invaders. He felt grief infest his body, all his movements sluggish. He had to pull through this. For everyone. For Bora. He would not let their lives go to waste. He had gained yet another reason to winning this war. He vowed to defeat Valmese to help the surviving Sages secure the freedom they cherished so. He resisted the dark thoughts creeping into his mind.

"Robin?" a voice called from outside the tent.

"Lucina? Come in."

She slowly peeked through the flaps before stepping inside. "I came here... to retrieve the book." she said, casting her eyes down as she finished. She had realized how insensitive it was to barge in for such a reason considering all that has happened.

Robin sat up straight. "Oh, yes. It's right where you left it."

Lucina slowly walked over and picked the book up. "Thank you. Get some rest." she said as she turned to exit.

"...Lucina." she heard him call. She halted and turned to him.

Robin looked down at the floor in a daze. "I... I don't really remember the ending to that book all too well... Do you mind refreshing my memory?" he asked softly.

Lucina heard it as more of a plea. She guessed at thoughts he battled with and sat herself down by the desk, cracking the book open to the last chapter.

Robin smiled gratefully as he lay down on his side, slowly shutting his eyes.

Lucina stared at Robin's face for a moment before beginning. "The hero's long journey had finally come to an end. Reunited once more with his beloved princess, the two made haste back to..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Done! Longest chapter of this story to date. ****I hope all the action filled those of you craving for it.**

** Robin showed off his Forseti and pulled off the finishing blow to bandit's reinforcements with his Mjolnir. I realized the strength of the spell was ridiculously strong in that scene, so I made its tome among the only few items in this story to have a very limited amount of uses. (other one probably being the Rescue Staff). I reversed the whole lightning-thunder scenario, where lightning strikes, then thunder booms, to kind of show how the power that the spell crafted by the gods defied the normal flow of the world.**

**Despite Robin's power up this Arc, I pitted Owain against the bandit leader, Gecko, as this Arc _was_ based off of his paralogue. A nice little close quarter combat scene.**

**The Sages have assimilated into the Ylissean forces, so expect their knowledge to help out the other Shepherd mages as well.**

**Some small Lucina/Robin segments revolving around the book Robin received from Sumia in Sage's Hamlet 1.**

**Next up will be their migration to the battlefield at the base of the Divine Mila Tree.**

**Thank you to all the readers and reviewers out there!**

**I look forward to bringing you the next chapter!**

**Til next time!**


	17. A Shot in the Dark

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: Here's a short little chapter for you all. I had planned to make a single chapter taking place before the Shepherd's arrival at the Mila Tree. I decided to make this its own chapter as this segment's tone is more humorous in comparison to the rest of the original chapter I had written. This takes place during the morning, while the next chapter will continue with the rest of the day.**

**A Shot in the Dark**

Lucina awoke to the sounds of birds calling to one another. Judging by how the fabric of the tent glew only slightly, the sun must have only just begun to rise. She then realized that something amiss about the whole situation.

She had not been in her own tent.

Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around the room to realize she had fallen asleep in Robin's tent last night. Her back ached slightly, having dozed off in her seated position while reading her favorite book.

Robin was still sleeping soundly on his bedroll. The conflicted look on his face had been lost to the peacefulness of slumber.

Today was when they would advance towards the Mila Tree. Basilio and Flavia's divisions had no doubt been lying in wait for the Shepherd's arrival, avoiding the Valmese's attention. There was hardly time to spare.

Lucina walked over to Robin and nudged his arm softly with her foot. He mumbled in his sleep, shifting his legs around.

"Robin, get up. We need to pack. We're leaving before noon." she said, crouching down to shake him gently.

He lay silent.

Lucina pouted when he had no intentions of waking up. She got up and plopped down to sit on top of him.

Robin's eye shot open as he gasped at the weight on his chest. He flailed his arms at her. "L-Lucina!? What do you think you're doing?"

"Waking your stubborn butt up." she said casually.

"Well I'm up now! So why don't you get _your_ stubborn butt off of me?" He said, pushing his hands against her side.

Lucina slowly got off the annoyed Tactician.

Robin sat up, scratching his messy hair. "...I ought to Mjolnir your sorry..." he mumbled.

"What was that?" she asked sharply, slightly pulling out Falchion from her scabbard.

"Not gonna work princess. Your daddy's been pulling that one on me for years." he said as stood up grudgingly to stretch.

Robin was apparently not one to be woken up in the morning. Sure, he got up by himself at the crack of dawn from time to time, but being woken by others this early was one his peeves. He preferred his internal clock to get his day going.

Robin rubbed his eyes and noticed the book on his desk, still open. "Wait, did you fall asleep here?"

"Oh, I apologize. After you had fallen, I took a moment to reread the story from the beginning. I guess sleep took me by surprise." she said bashfully.

"No, it's fine. I just wish I had a spare bed roll lying around. Your back must be killing you." he said as he gave her a pat on the back causing her to wince.

"If you figured that much, why slap my back?" she asked irritably.

"You sat on me," Robin deadpanned.

Lucina sighed. "Fair enough."

Robin folded his bedroll, looking around his quarters and deciding he'd leave the rest of the packing for later.

"Let's go get something to eat." he said rubbing his stomach. Before he exited, he turned back to her. "Umm, thanks for last night."

"Your welcome. I enjoyed the story as well." she said with a smile. She left it at that, not wanting to press on the sorrow that most likely plagued his mind. She could tell he was handling it to the best of his abilities, which was surprisingly well. Last night, he just needed a helping hand.

They heard someone just outside the tent.

"Robin? Sorry to bother you this earl-" Chrom had walked in to find Robin and Lucina in the same tent so early in the morning. "What's going on?" he asked, eyes shifting between the two.

Robin groaned, "Huh, so it seems waking me up early runs in the family."

Chrom raised a brow. "What?"

"I spent the night here." Lucina explained casually.

Robin let out a yawn. "She came to retrieve some book Sumia gave me and ended up falling asleep at the desk while she read it."

The two of them having nothing to hide, felt no guilt in coming clean about what happened the night before.

Lucina narrowed her eyes at Robin. "Don't make me sound so carefree." She turned to her father. "I was reading the manchild over here a bedtime story to help get his mind off a few things."

Robin glared at her. "Who are you calling a manchild?"

Chrom shook his head. He _would_ have been suspicious had they not begun a verbal spat right before him. They also made no effort to hide what had happened. He smiled at his friend and daughter's honesty, believing them.

Chrom chuckled. "This reminds of when I had to stay with Robin for a night back during our campaign in Plegia."

Robin smiled at the memory. "That's what you get for pissing off your wife. When Sumia's rare flashes of anger spring up, no one's spared, royalty or not."

"I've never seen mother angry before." Lucina said with a curious expression.

"Try spilling wine on any of her books." Robin laughed.

"It's her fault for lining the entire desk with them! Where am I supposed to put _my_ stuff?" Chrom defended.

"I'm sure Frederick wouldn't mind holding all of it." Robin joked.

Lucina giggled lightly, as a childish scene played out in her head. She imagined Frederick standing in the corner of her parents tent in the dead of night, her father's belongings hung all over the man.

Chrom laughed as well. "Well anyways, I was going to consult you about our trip to the Mila Tree."

"Sure. Why don't we talk about it over breakfast? Is Libra up?" Robin asked.

Chrom nodded. "He's already begun preparing the meals."

The three headed out towards the mess hall.

* * *

><p>Sumia bounced around on her bunk. "Cordelia! Cordelia! Lucina hasn't come back yet!" she whispered loudly.<p>

Cordelia looked around the lodging house as she put on her boots, finding Lucina's bed still made. "Oh? Are you sure she just didn't head out already? She does get up pretty early."

"No! I woke up in the middle of the night and she still wasn't back."

"A daughter disappearing is sure to be unsettling news to any mother. So tell me why is it you look positively bubbly?"

"Before we all went to bed, Lucina said she'd be dropping by Robin's tent for something."

Cordelia felt one of Sumia's fantasy driven delusions coming. "Oh dear, don't tell me..."

"Grandchildren? Am I going to have grandchildren!?" she squealed.

Cordelia slapped her forehead. "That's ridiculous even for you, Sumia. They've known each other for a few weeks at most. Surely you're jumping to conclusions."

"Is it ridiculous, Cordelia? Is it?" Sumia asked smugly, as if the answer was plain as day.

"Quite." Cordelia deadpanned.

"That doesn't change the fact that she wasn't here, and she last went to Robin's."

"So? I've stayed the night at Robin's when he helped to craft my spears and nothing happened."

"All that proves is you're not his type."

Cordelia wanted to give her best friend a good slap right about now. "Neither of them seem like the type to rush into anything like that anyways. If you ask me, they just seem like good friends at this point. And that's a good thing. These things take time." she said with sage like wisdom.

"Have you noticed they've been teaming up for the last few battles? That's proof of progress right there!"

"Lon'qu and Vaike often pair up, yet you don't see Lissa pulling her hair out."

"Oh come on, just think about it. A strong, mysterious princess lost in time, and an amnesiac war hero with a brilliant mind. Doesn't it just sound like a romance novel?" Sumia asked with starry eyes.

"More like a story some fan came up with based on the original material." Cordelia stated bluntly.

"You're no fun, Cordelia." Sumia said, sticking her tongue out.

"As cute as I think they would be together, you're simply reading into this too much. I told you I'd help you it with this little mission of yours, but I can't let you go and mess it up over something we lack any solid evidence on. ...Why don't we just ask them about it later?"

"Right!" Sumia exclaimed, putting on her boots as well.

The two pegasus tamers prepared for the day and went to grab breakfast.

* * *

><p>Sumia and Cordelia opened the flaps to the mess hall. Only a handful of Shepherds were awake this early.<p>

Libra walked up to them, greeting them good morning and handing over their trays of food.

The two spotted Lucina and Robin seated at a table eating together.

Cordelia heard Sumia's breathing getting louder. "This doesn't prove anything." she said as she went to have a seat next to them.

"Good morning aunt Cordelia, good morning mother." Lucina smiled.

"Mornin'," Robin said with a mouthful of eggs.

"Good morning you two." Cordelia smiled back.

Sumia sat down beside Lucina.

"Mother? Are you well? You're breathing quite hard." Lucina said as she reached a hand to feel her mother's temperature.

"I'm fantastic dear. But how are _you_?"

"I slept well given the position I was in." Lucina said, biting into a piece of toast.

"P-p-p-p-position?" Sumia muttered with wide, glossy eyes.

Cordelia groaned.

"Good morning you two." Chrom said as he sat down at the table, kissing his wife on the cheek. "Are you feeling alright, dear? You're breathing quite hard." he asked, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Of course I am." Sumia smiled. "Sooo... Lucina, I noticed you didn't come back last night."

Lucina straightened up. She looked guiltily at Sumia. 'Did I keep her waiting all night?' she thought. "I'm sorry mother..."

"It's fine honey. I've got a pretty good idea what you went out for." Sumia said with a sly smile.

"Really?"

"Mhm. Call it a mother's intuition."

"Well... you did have a knack for telling fortunes." Lucina said thoughtfully.

Sumia leaned into her daughter's ear. "So, what was your favorite part?" she whispered mischievously.

Lucina thought about. "Definitely the climax." she said with a grin.

Sumia rubbed her cheeks as she grit her teeth, smiling like a fool.

Cordelia kicked Sumia's foot under the table, but to no effect. Seeing as her friend had completely succumbed to her unsavory fantasies, she decided to clear the air once and for all.

"Lucina, where were you last night?" Cordelia asked plainly.

"I fell asleep in Robin's tent." she explained.

"She was reading a book and dozed off in a chair." Chrom added, sipping some coffee.

Sumia snapped out of her twisted thoughts. "Book? Chair? What do you mean?"

"I thought you said you had it figured out." Lucina said in confusion. She pulled out the book on her lap. "I went to Robin's to retrieve this. It's the same book you read to me as a child. Who would have guessed that in this timeline, it found its way into Robin's possession?"

Sumia's face fell in disappointment.

Lucina continued, "Like I said, the story's climax was by far my favorite part of the book. How the wizard chased the princess throughout the castle, only to confront the hero and be defeated... It may not sound like much, but that scene always held a special place in my heart. ...I remember father would dress up as the wizard, chasing me through our own castle as we reenacted the scene..." Lucina blushed.

Sumia's frown slowly turned upwards. She realized she was being quite ridiculous over the whole affair. She was a tad disappointed, but at the news that her daughter at least got to live _some_ happy moments in that terrible future, her other worries paled. She wrapped her hands around her daughter, pulling her close. "That's... that's lovely sweety. Would you like for me to read it to you sometime?"

Lucina's smiled with soft eyes. She heard Robin chuckling next to her.

"...and you called me a manchild?" she heard him mumble.

Lucina flushed, before snapping her attention back to her mother. "I appreciate the offer mother, but I'm far too old for such things," she said loudly for all to hear.

Sumia offered her a smile, try to hide her disappointment.

Robin shrugged as he continued eating.

Lucina looked her mother in the eyes and nodded very subtly.

Sumia caught the small gesture and smiled at her daughters agreement to her offer.

Cordelia giggled to herself, happy the whole event hadn't been blown out of proportion.

The five Shepherds enjoyed the rest of their meals.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Like I said, this part didn't fit the rest of the chapter I had planned out. The next chapter will continue during their meal, as Chrom and Robin speak about their upcoming battle.**

**Owain, Severa, and Kjelle will get a moment to reflect on the events of their recent battle.**

**Overall, I guess I just wanted a bit of Robin/Lucina fun, without actually having any Robin/Lucina, so Sumia's perverted fantasies were the way to go.**

**Next chapter will be much longer, the events taking place from where this one left off, to the Mila Tree.**

**Til next time!**


	18. The Pilgrimage

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: Tune in for the actual A/N at the end of this chapter for some... well news, regarding the future of this story...**

**The Pilgrimage**

The Shepherds were in the middle of their morning meal.

Chrom cut up a few of the eggs on his plate. "So Robin, about our march."

Robin wiped his mouth of the grease from the bacon, turning to give his attention to his friend and commander.

"The villagers have 10 fishing vessels, holding about 10 people each." Chrom stated.

"That should be plenty of room."

"Yes it will, but I was more worried about the chance of the Valmese finding us. We defeated their forces at Valm Harbor days ago, then suddenly went off of the map. No doubt their forces at the Mila Tree are on the look out."

Robin bit his thumb. "That's right, we're sitting ducks out in the water if they've got any Dark Fliers and they send them out to survey the area."

"We could move our departure to sunset. The Sages say it will only take a few hours to reach the tree, so we can sail for them in the cover of darkness."

"But how much time can we afford? Basilio and Flavia must have been on standby for days."

"We can at least afford the time to make sure we all arrive safely."

"You're right. We can't be pressured to act carelessly. Ha, I thought _I_ was the Tactician here." Robin said as he grinned at the prince.

Chrom let out a laugh. "Well I've picked up a few things with you around."

"So we leave at sun down?" Lucina asked.

Chrom nodded. "It's the logical decision given the Valmese's hold over the area."

"Well I guess that leaves me with a bit of free time." Lucina rested her chin on palm, debating on how she should spend the extra hours.

"Why don't you spend a bit of time with Owain and the others? You all just reunited yesterday and... well a battle isn't much of a celebration." Robin suggested.

Lucina caught the brief sigh Robin let out as he ended the statement. Like she had thought, Bora's death weighed on his mind. Who could blame him? In the short time they had known him, Bora was nothing but warm and welcoming.

Lucina leaned towards him slightly. "Just be glad that we came across this town. Had we not when the bandits attacked, there's no doubt the casualties would've been far worse." she whispered. She herself felt a knot in her stomach at thought that her friends might also have perished.

Robin merely gave an understanding nod.

After finishing their meal, the five went their separate ways for the time being.

* * *

><p><em>"Be strong, young ones... you're all too important... to the future to have something... like this keep you down..."<em>

_"...Friends... fight... Defeat the forces that... wish to steal Valm's... freedom... Freedom, our way of life... earn it..."_

Owain shot up from his bed, waking to cold sweat. He panted heavily, bringing his hands up rest his face.

He had just dreamed of Bora. Finding the man lying silent in a puddle of his own blood as two fiends violated his home.

He remembered Bora's final words to them.

He grit his teeth, clutching the bedsheets. He had to remain strong. He couldn't let his weakness consume him.

Owain exhaled loudly and tried to calm down his breathing.

"Owain? ...Are you up?" a feminine voice called from outside the tent.

Owain got up steadily. "Severa? Yeah... I just got up. Come in."

After a small pause, Severa entered the tent. "Look at you. You're a mess." Severa huffed.

Owain smiled softly.

Severa eyed the man. "...How are you?"

Owain grinned. "I'm feeling great, actually. I can't wait to get back on the road!"

Severa frowned.

Owain fixed his bed. "Last night had awoken the hidden strength within me. A man of my calibur can't afford to stay anchored down! It's my duty to the world to use my power to extinguish the perils that shroud the land."

Severa clenched her fists. 'He's doing it again...'

"Alas, I fear these peaceful days have only inhibited my true potential. I must once again prove to all that I, deserve to stand among the many heroes of old." he said, raising his arms.

Severa couldn't take it any longer. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT!?" she yelled.

Owain jumped at her sudden outburst.

"You expect me to believe that our friends died yesterday, and you're okay with that?"

"A hero must not be consumed by the darkness in his heart. I ca-"

"That's horseshit and you know it!" she shouted, stomping up and grabbing him by the collar. "Why do you do this? Stop trying to act like everything that's happened doesn't faze you!"

Owain grabbed her arms and pulled them off, but they immediately found their way back to his shirt. "I'm not pretending! A hero's will must be made of steel. Any show of weakness is only something the enemy can exploit."

Severa slapped him hard across the face.

Owain stood, there stunned.

Severa looked down, tears dripping on the floor. "...Stop trying to escape reality with all of your heroic babble... Stop acting like you have to do everything by yourself... Stop acting as if you're not hurting inside as well! " she said, gradually raising her voice.

Owain glanced to the side, furrowing his brows. He felt her weight lean against his chest, arms wrapping around him.

"You're not alone... It's okay to cry..." she whimpered into his shirt.

The words sank into him. What came out were tears, slowly trailing down his face.

He was sick of it. Sick of watching his friends and loved ones die. He had enough of that in the future he came from.

How much more? How much more of his friends would he have to watch lay on the floor as the life left them? How much longer would he be so powerless?

Owain finally let out a loud sob, tightly wrapping his arms around Severa. "Bora... everyone..."

Severa held him deeper, as they both collapsed to their knees.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Owain sniffed.

"...It's okay you idiot..." Severa uttered softly.

The flaps of Owain's tent had opened slightly, the light from the rising sun peeking through and shining upon the two.

They slowly looked over to the entrance to find Kjelle.

Her expression was blank as she stared down at her friends.

"...Kjelle?" Owain whispered.

Kjelle bit her lip, carefully making her way to them before dropping down on her knees.

Severa pulled her in, as Kjelle too began to let loose tears of her own.

They sobbed for minutes, unconcerned with the flow of time. Despite what hardships they've been through in their future, they were but adolescents. As children, they saw things that no child their age should ever have to see. It left them with scars as deep as any wound in battle.

However, there was one thing that living through that hell had given them. The Future Children had forged an unbreakable solidarity. The world they fled had left them broken in ways they might not yet have been aware of, but it mattered little. Together they strived, together they grew, together they fought, until the day came when they would all be able to stand side by side as the people they had sought to become.

After all, Shepherds have each others backs.

* * *

><p>For most of the Shepherds, the sun had set just as quick as it had rose.<p>

Robin spent some time training with Frederick and Chrom.

Lucina, had gotten together with her fellow time travellers.

The Shepherds had held a meeting, reviewing various possible scenarios at the Mila Tree.

Say'ri described the colossal tree, explaining that they'd have to advance on its equally massive roots and up the large stairway in its trunk.

The roots were far more narrow than what they were used to fighting on, so they would be forced to travel in tightly packed groups.

One advantage they did have was the tree's seemingly godlike invulnerability. The Ylissean mages would be able to freely use any types of magic without worrying about any structural damage.

It would be a harsh confrontation, but it was vital in assembling allied forces against Walhart.

The Shepherds loaded their belongings onto the Sage's fishing vessels, preparing for their departure.

The Sages took some final moments to bid farewell to their home. Owain, Severa and Kjelle joined them in paying respects to the graves of their fallen friends.

Severa placed a small flower on Bora's grave, a small smile on her face.

Owain and Kjelle stood behind her.

They had finally come to terms with their friend's passing, choosing to carry their will and ensure that the people of Valm could hold onto their freedom.

Lucina made her way to them. "We're about to set off. I hope you've finished settling matters here."

With one final goodbye, they left their fallen comrades in peace.

"So we're all on the same ship?" Kjelle asked as they strolled towards the lake just beyond the forest.

Lucina nodded. "Mhm, along with our parents and Say'ri."

"I thought the ships held only 10 each?" Owain asked.

"The fishing vessels do, but we'll be boarding the ship they use for trade." Lucina explained.

"Wait, wasn't Say'ri a princess too?" Severa asked.

"Yes she is! The ruler of the mysterious lands of Chon'sin! Why, such a fierce yet elegant woman. It's only fitting she would hold such position." Owain grinned.

Severa grit her teeth and marched ahead, making sure to slam past Owain with her shoulder.

"My, you should be more careful with your choice of words, cousin." Lucina smiled.

Kjelle chuckled.

Owain was left wondering what he had done.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds sailed through the lake in the cover of night.<p>

Robin was on board one of the ships with Vaike, Donnel and a few others. He stared across the water at Chrom's ship, spying Lucina leaning against the railing talking with Lissa and her mother. He smiled, thinking that at the moment, she looked nothing like the troubled princess he had first met. She looked just like any other ordinary girl.

"Whatcha looking at Robin?" Vaike said as he leaned his elbow on the railings.

"At the family over there." Robin motioned.

"Ohh?" Vaike grinned.

Robin stared off at the crescent moon at the other end of the lake. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to have one? A family? I mean, I don't remember much before you all found me and you grew up on the streets in an orphanage right?"

Robin's thoughts momentarily lingered over Validar. He shuddered at the possibility of being that man's son.

Vaike nodded, turning around to lean his back on the railings. "Yeah, of course I have. Wonderin' wheres my mom and pop at and what they're doin right now. I lived a pretty cruddy life as a kid, causing trouble and what not with my fellow hooligans. But after Emmeryn came and visited us... well let's just say that my life took a turn for the better. That's when I met Chrom."

Robin lifted a brow. "I've yet to hear this story."

Vaike laughed. "Well sit your ass down, 'cause it's a good one. Emmeryn came down to our side of the town to observe the conditions of the less hospitable areas of Ylissetol. You know, so she can 'work immediately to ensure a better quality of life for all citizens' or something. " Rather sound as if he was mocking the late exalt, his voice carried a hint of admiration for the woman. "They stayed around at an inn for about a week. That's when I met Chrom, his prim and proper mug walking around our streets. Something about that pissed me off. I got the urge to wipe that sheltered look off his face."

Robin's eyes widened. "You fought Chrom?"

"Ha ha, yeah, you should have seen it. He put up a good fight. By the end of it we were both black and blue, lying on the floor. "

"D-Didn't Chrom and Emmeryn's escorts do anything about it?"

"Haha oh yeah, they would've killed me on the spot. But ol'Chrom waved em off. He and his sister were different from other nobles... They... they saw us as people too."

Seeing Vaike taken over with nostalgia, Robin let him continue.

"Even after they left, Chrom kept coming back to pick fights. I was glad to give him a beating or two. Before we knew it, our fights became more like sparring matches than anything else. One day he even came down with a pair of swords. Boy, that was when things got real interesting. Eventually, me and Chrom became pals, going around and beatin' down thugs across Ylissetol." Vaike said with a grin. "One day he came and asked me to join some group he was puttin' together."

"The Shepherds."

"Right! So, what I'm tryna tell you with all this, is that you don't need no mom and pop to have a family. Us Shepherds are a big family ourselves!"

Robin smiled. "Never thought I'd hear _you_ of all people saying that. Must be getting soft, Vaike."

"Hah, me? Nah, Ol'Teach just knows how to enjoy the little things in life. After all, I didn't have much growing up to begin with."

"I guess you're right. We are a family."

"Exactly."

"I guess that makes you Lucina's _weird uncle_ right?"

Vaike chuckled. "No way, Gregor's got that spot filled."

They shared a small laugh.

"Although, I wonder if I've got any kids from that future." Vaike pondered.

"Who knows? Maybe we should ask the kids?"

"...Nah, I'm good. Knowing about things before they happen takes the fun out of everything."

"Hah, it's a bit disturbing to hear you spout all this philosophy."

"I'm called Teach for a reason." Vaike said as he stuck out his tongue.

* * *

><p>Lucina was glancing over her shoulder, seeing Robin speaking to Vaike in the neighboring boat.<p>

"Lucina?" Lissa asked.

Lucina snapped her attention back to her mother and aunt. "Oh, I'm sorry aunt Lissa. What were you saying?"

"I was asking about what Owain was like as a kid. Was he always so... imaginative?"

"Well even as kids, he was quite the dreamer. But it was only after... the fighting that he became how he is now." Lucina said sadly.

Lissa's eyes widened in horror. "You're saying he's got some kind of mental illness?" she asked with worry.

Lucina shook her head. "No, I don't believe it is anything that bad. Rather, it seems like it is more intentional than anything else. Our lives in the future... was grim and bleak. What small amount of joy we did have, came from each other."

"...He was trying to lighten the mood?"

"I believe so. Despite how annoying Owain's theatrics got over time, it did take our mind's off the fighting, even for just a little. But, he also uses it as an outlet for his own worries."

"An outlet?"

"Yes, he garnishes reality with stories of heroes and legends to keep him on track... so that he never loses sight of his goals... But sometimes, bottling up your own grief like that does more damage than just letting it out. That's where we, his friends, come in. We allow Owain to revel in his delusions just enough to get away from the thoughts that torment him, but we try to pull him back the moment it starts getting a bit too unhealthy."

Lissa looked into the water of the lake sadly. "...My son..."

Lucina winced. "I'm truly sorry aunt Lissa. As their leader, it was I who let him become the way he is... I thought I was only doing what was best for him. I thought we could all use some happiness in our lives, even if that happiness wasn't of this reality... I'm a failure as their leader..."

Lissa wrapped her arms around her niece. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, Lucy. You brought back our children in one piece. I'm sure Owain would've done much worse had he not been able to cope the way he does now. You're a fantastic leader... I'm sure Chrom agrees." she finished with a smile.

Lucina's eyes began to moisten. "Oh aunt Lissa..." she whispered, as she returned her aunt's hug.

"His attitude wasn't too off putting for you guys, was it?"

"Not at all. We appreciate Owain and what he does for us." Lucina reassured.

"Than as a mother, having friends like you guys is all I wish for him." Lissa smiled.

"He's also got the rest of his family back now."

Lissa giggled.

"Umm, aunt Lissa? Uncle Lon'qu still isn't upset with me... over..."

Lissa snorted. "Hah! Are you talking about your fight with him at Arena Ferox? Don't worry about that. He says he's proud to have you as his niece."

Lucina blushed slightly. "Really? Well... now that he's gotten over his problem around women, be sure to tell him that I look forward to a rematch."

"Ha, just be sure not to hurt him too much!"

"Aunt Lissa! You should have more faith in uncle!"

"Aww, Lucy, I'm joking!"

Sumia couldn't help but let her heart warm at the fact her daughter was getting so close to the people around her. She felt proud to be Lucina's mother.

* * *

><p>Lissa and Sumia had gone inside the ship's small cabin, leaving Lucina alone to think to herself.<p>

*Ahem*

Lucina turned her head to see Say'ri stroll over. "Ah, miss Say'ri. How are you faring?"

Say'ri smiled. "There's no need to be so formal, friend. To say I am simply getting by would be an understatement. Joining forces with Ylisse... it fills me with a hope that I had long thought burned out."

"We will not let Walhart have his way."

"Aye, we mustn't. Tell me, Lucina. I have been made aware of your status as Ylisse's princess and Chrom's daughter. Yet your ages do little to support that fact."

Lucina smiled softly. "It seems that with what has been going on, you've let to be enlightened about my origins." Lucina took a moment to find the words to explain her situation. "You see... I have actually come from the future."

Say'ri looked shocked at the revelation. "The future?"

Lucina figured she wouldn't buy into her story right away. "Yes, what I'm about to tell you may come across as disheartening, but I'm afraid that Walhart is not the only thing that puts this world in danger."

"But what could pose more of threat than that demon of a man?" Say'ri asked with disbelief.

"...A demon himself."

Say'ri looked at the girl questioningly.

"Tell me, Say'ri, have you heard of the being known as Grima?"

"Grima? Aye, he's the deity worshipped by the Grimleal, no?"

"In the future, Grima has been resurrected. The age of man had ended."

"How could that be?"

"My father, the only hope destroying Grima had fallen. With him gone, Grima's rule was unopposed."

"It is because of that Falchion, is not?"

Lucina nodded. "Falchion was the blade our ancestor used to slay the fell dragon long ago. It could only be wielded by those of Exalted blood, and even then, the sword is selective in who might bear it."

Say'ri's eyes travelled to Lucina's hip, where her own Falchion rested. "I assume there is only a single copy of such sword in this world. If that's true, the blade settled on your waist speaks lengths about the truth of your tale." Say'ri clenched the railing of the boat. "Fie. To think Walhart is the least of our worries..."

"Do not think of your struggle so lightly. Walhart's defeat is instrumental in even standing a chance against Grima. We require the jewels for the Fire Emblem in order awake the Falchion's true potential. Only then can we slay Grima."

"The Fire Emblem? Are you certain this is the only way to destroy the beast?"

Lucina nodded. "That's why with the death of my father, Grima was free to do as he pleased."

"But you inherited the Falchion yourself."

"By the time we assembled the required jewels for the awakening, Grima and his forces were far too powerful for what a single sword could accomplish. Naga had instead used the Fire Emblem's power in order to send myself and a few others through time, in hopes that we could prevent Grima's resurrection. "

"...Such an arduous task for a woman as young as yourself. Does fate truly despise us mortals?" Say'ri sighed as she stared up at the stars.

Lucina scoffed. "Fate can hate us for as long as it intends to. But we do not have to sit quietly by as it has its way with us."

Say'ri chuckled. "To challenge fate itself... Ylisse surely has its blessings to have you as its heir."

Lucina smiled sadly. "I am not this land's true heir. You see, I've already been born in this time. When the time comes, the role as exalt is rightfully hers."

"You choose to forfeit your inheritance?"

"It was not mine to begin with. I've come from another world. I can only strive to ensure this one can live in peace."

"Do not let the notion bother you. You are doing far more than anyone with a mere title can ever hope to accomplish. A nation's strength comes not from its leaders, but its people. Just be happy you have a family to call your own." Say'ri grimaced as she concluded.

Lucina picked up on the pained expression on her face. "I apologize, I had not meant for this conversation to open up any personal wounds."

Say'ri shook her head. "It is fine. I do not intend to run away from what has already happened."

Lucina looked at her, unsure.

Say'ri stopped to think for a bit, before resuming,"I must come across as heartless, wishing my own brother dead."

"No, you do it not out of a whim. It's a terrible position for anyone to be in. I can't even imagine being put in the situation you're in."

"I loved my brother. I idolized him as we grew up. But the moment he betrayed our people and flocked to that demon, Walhart... All my respect had been poisoned into hate..."

Lucina rested a hand on her shoulder. "I have a duty to my people. Do you not feel the same way? Although our burdens may differ, as a fellow princess I can understand the pain you are going through." Lucina stared back into the water.

"Aye, and I'm truly grateful to have someone such as yourself around to lend an ear. We must remain strong. If we truly wish to overthrow fate, we can rely on no amount of luck. We do it ourselves."

"We will. Together, we are capable of that much."

The two princesses bonded for a while on the deck.

* * *

><p>After a few more hours of sailing, with not a single Valmese in sight, the small fleet had finally landed on the other end of the lake.<p>

As they marched up the hill, the massive tree could already be seen towering in the distance, seeming to dwarf even the surrounding mountains.

Basilio and Flavia's divisions were able to oversee the battlefield from their locations, and would rush in the moment the Shepherds charged.

Taking one final moment to recuperate, the Shepherds prepared for the battle ahead of them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So time for the news. There's 2 things I need to announce.**

**Unfortunately, you guys are going to be stuck with me for a while longer. I had originally planned for this story to only run up until the conclusion of the Valm War. It's evident in the intro of the first chapter. However, I realized as I've been writing, I couldn't really do this story justice by cutting it off right there, so I'm going to expand the the fic into 3 parts, including the Valm part that we're in right now. This will most likely be a pretty lengthy fic at the rate things are going, so I hope I don't bore you all by the time this story gets to its conclusion!**

**Now, moving onto the second part of the announcement. Like I just said, this fic will now be in 3 parts. Valm being the 1st, and the battle against Validar/Grima being the second. As for the other part, I've actually cooked up an entire segment that's not in the game itself. It's a neat little part that I think will close up some loose ends the main game doesn't really get into. This NEW part, with how I've planned it out so far, could come in either right after the Valm part ends, or after they've defeated Grima. But the nature of this part's plot also puts me in a position to alter a few details in the upcoming chapters, as to create a reason for it happening in the first place. Worry not, I won't alter the major points of the game to the point where this won't be following it, but rather I'm adding an entirely new segment to the main story. Now I don't want to get into any spoilers right now, but hopefully you'll be able to pick up a few of the changes before the end of the siege on the Mila Tree. I might however throw some curve ball in order to freshen the story a bit. **

**The new segment won't feature any OC's except for the enemies and townspeople. I'm trying to make it tie into the game's main plot as much as possible without adding any 'new' elements, but at the same time I want it to be fresh, new journey the Shepherds embark on. Contradictory, I know.**

**Also, I've made a tremendous error in forgetting that FORSETI is one of the 12 holy weapons! How the hell did I let that happen!? I guess I'll have to edit some of the previous chapters, but over all it should be the same.**

**I'm extremely grateful to all of you; readers, reviewers, people who've faved or followed this fic. I hope you all will bear with me until this story's conclusion.**

**Now buckle up, because the journey's just begun!**


	19. Naga's Voice 1

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: For this Chapter, I need you all to envision the Mila Tree not only as a massive tree, but something along the lines of a fortress. The Valmese had taken measures to actually establish a base around the tree. For that to be possible, the tree as depicted in this Chapter is much larger than the one in the game.**

**Naga's Voice 1**

It was almost dawn. The Shepherds gathered around, in preparation for the assault. They lay behind a small hilltop, by the shore. They'd need to act fast before the enemy could locate them.

Chrom called for the group's attention. "Shepherds, let us go over the plan once more. We're about to march straight into enemy territory. The enemy will vastly outnumber our forces until the others can join up, so we'll need to be methodical with how we fight until then. Robin?"

Robin walked up to continue. "Our mages and newly allied Sages will be our main assault force for as long as we can keep the Valmese at bay. The rest of you fend of any Valmese that manage to evade our volleys. Stay close until our reinforcement shows up. After their attention isn't focused solely us, we can all let loose. We're going to advance up the tree. Like always, if we can find their commander, take him out. We need to establish a secure position and locae Lady Tiki. After which, we either wipe out, or drive away their forces. Be safe out there, I'm confident that if anyone can pull this off, it's us. However, don't let your egos get ahead of you."

Several of the Shepherds snapped their attention to Vaike.

"W-What the hell?" the muscled man stammered.

Robin chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about him. He can't do any fighting without that axe of his anyways."

Vaike frantically looked around. He stared to his left to find Miriel with a displeased look, his axe in her hand.

The Shepherds laughed.

Robin smiled. 'At least they're in good spirits.'

Chrom stepped up. "Alright everyone, get into positions. The sun will rise any moment, so we need to gain as much ground in the darkness as we can."

The Shepherds got into formation. Robin stood near the front alongside Vaike and Frederick.

Lucina walked up next to him. "Are you ready?"

Robin nodded. "I am. Lucina, be safe out there."

"I do not plan on falling here. There is far too much to be done. Be safe too, Robin."

Owain crept up behind them. "Well aren't you two just awfully chummy?"

Lucina frowned, elbowing her cousin.

Robin laughed, turning to mockingly bow to Lucina. "It would be a grave dishonor if I, a mere subject, allowed any harm to befall our fair princess."

Owain bowed as well.

Several chuckled from behind Owain. "Is our leader blushing?"

Kelley merely laughed. "Perhaps the present has changed our leader more than she imagined."

Lucina groaned.

After they got in formation, Chrom led the march up the hill. They couldn't spot any sign of the enemy troops.

"Chrom, something's off." Robin whispered.

As soon as the words left his mouth, dozens of flames launched into the sky, illuminating the area.

The flames flew in an arc, spiraling down to towards the Shepherds.

Robin pulled out his Forseti tome. "Mages! Prepare to fire wind magic!"

The mages readied their tomes, waiting for the balls of flame to reach the right distance.

"Fire!" Robin ordered.

The mages fired a wall of wind magic, repelling the barrage of flames.

"Basilio and Flavia are sure to have noticed! They'll be down here any moment. Charge in!" Chrom yelled as he sprinted downhill towards the tree's roots.

The Shepherds and company raced for the tree, enemy soldiers coming into view.

A wave of Valmese troops ran towards them.

Chrom, Frederick and Robin led the Shepherds at the front in cutting down the incoming enemy soldiers. As soon as the line of Valmese were defeated, the Shepherd mages and Sages fired off a barrage of lightning towards the Valmese in the distance.

The Valmese brazenly kept sending more and more waves of men, hoping to crush the Shepherds with their numbers.

The Shepherds fought like a well oiled machine, cutting down one line of enemies before shooting down the next.

The Valmese, seemingly distraught with the Shepherds advancement, ordered the rest of their troops currently on the field to rush in all at once.

"Damn, they're pulling out all the stops. Mages! Get ready" Robin cried.

The mages charged their tomes as the horde of Valmese rushed forward. They unleashed a storm of flames upon the enemy, a wall of fire forming where the blasts had hit.

The wall of fire roared, forming a barrier between both forces and obstructing each other's views.

Through the the flickering flames, Robin could make out the Valmese forming a line of Archers. 'We need to get to the tree as fast as possible,' he thought. He reached for his Mjolnir. 'Only a limited amount... But if I can cut down a path through their forces...' With their group outnumbered, Robin figured the situation warranted the use of the spell. He approached the wall of fire.

Henry laughed. "Nya ha! He's gonna do it!"

"Do what?" Sully asked, eyes glued to fire, trying to pick out the shapes of the enemies.

Henry began backpedalling, "Mjolnir! So I say we all stand back if we don't want to die from shock! Nya ha ha!"

Chrom looked on as Robin headed towards the inferno. "Everyone move back! That spell's got a massive kill zone!"

Robin took a deep breath, aiming through the wall of flames, Mjolnir glowing brightly in his hand.

The Valmese archers had taken their kneeled positions, getting ready to unleash their hail of arrows.

Robin called forth the mighty spell, the air above once again beginning to quake, heralding the coming of the mighty bolt.

The Valmese Archers looked upward, as the sky was engulfed in a brief flash of light. They barely had the chance to blink in recovery from the flash when a gigantic bolt of lightning silently fell behind the line of archers. The pillar of electricity struck dead at the center of their forces. The strike annihilated dozens of the tightly packed Valmese instantly. The electricity ripped through their ranks, leaping from one soldier to the next.

In an instant, the battlefield grew silent.

Robin cautiously pulled out Forseti and blew down the wall of flames to reveal the entire battalion of Valmese soldiers lifeless on the ground.

Chrom, satisfied with the stillness of the enemy forces, marched forward. "Let's get moving before they deploy another group!"

As the Shepherds, advanced, Robin cringed as he passed over the charred bodies of the enemy soldiers. Over a hundred lives lost in the blink of an eye. The image of the Valmese fleet, burning down on the ocean invaded his minds. Robin felt time slow down. He stared down into the eyes of a Valmese Myrmidon, whose face had been paralyzed into an expression of pain. Robin felt himself heat up, perspiring at a drastic pace, as he stared into the dead man's eyes.

_'This is who you are... Accept your destiny and power will never be beyond your reach...'_ he thought he heard a voice called from within.

Robin trembled, his breathing get harder and harder. He could feel his heart pounding, the pumping blood causing his head to pulsate.

He felt someone grip his hand. His eyes trailed down to see small hand, squeezing his gently. He traced up the arm to find Lucina, staring sadly at him. Robin squeezed back, as he gazed into her eyes. "Let's go. This only the start." he breathed softly. He let go of her hand and made his way over, carefully walking over the corpses.

Lucina stared over her shoulder at his retreating figure, her eyes glazed with worry. An odd pain surged through her. She shook off the feeling, and turned to follow.

* * *

><p>Basilio leapt to the side as a Valmese Cavalier charged at him. Basilio swung his mighty axe at the man's side, knocking him dead to the ground.<p>

He wiped his brow as he surveyed the area. He had just witnessed what he thought must've been an act of the gods. Whatever it had been, it had hit on the opposite end of the tree from where his men charged. He dreaded even to think that it was some sort of Super Weapon the Valmese possessed. They'd have to quickly get to the tree's base and under the cover of the branches lest they be targeted themselves by a possible second strike.

His forces had come down from the rear of the Mila Tree and were welcomed by a large amount of enemy soldiers. The enemy were large in numbers and once again had the advantage of fortified positions. Despite the odds, the Ylisseans fought through the raging crowds of Valmese, knowing just how much was at stake.

A lance dove through the air, straight for Basilio. He lifted his axe up in a slant, the lance sliding of its surface. Basilio leapt forward, bringing down his axe onto the Knight who had thrown it. His immense strength drove the Silver Axe through the Knight's armor, and into his chest.

A Myrmidon charged at Basilio, swinging his sword from the side. Basilio stepped back from the swing, and stepped forward into the Myrmidon's follow up. Basilio having closed the distance, he was merely struck by the hilt of the Myrmidon's sword. Basilio grabbed the man's sword arm with both arms. As the Myrmidon struggled in the Khan's grip, Basilio pulled his right arm across his chest, slamming his elbow back and into the man's face. The Myrmidon's nose was smashed as he fell unconscious on the ground.

Basilio retrieved the fallen enemy's sword, eyeing down a Pegasus Rider above an adjacent root. He took aim, and with a mighty swing, he threw the sword at his mark. The sword spun through the air like a buzzsaw, digging into the pegasus, sending them crashing down into the waters around the tree.

The Khan, reclaimed his axe and looked around to regain his bearings of the battlefield. He yelled to the men fighting alongside him. "Push on! We need to regroup with the others! Watch out for all of their blasted fliers!"

* * *

><p>Flavia's forces cut through the Valmese hordes. They were battling it out atop the various roots around the great tree.<p>

Flavia was currently dueling with a Valmese Swordmaster. The two had created distance from one another and took a brief moment to recuperate when they noticed the large thunderbolt.

Flavia's eyes were glued to the women across from her, yet her thoughts wandered elsewhere. 'What in god's names was that? That was no ordinary bolt of lightning...'

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Swordsman spoke up, "It seems you Ylisseans have quite the trump card." she breathed.

Flavia eyed the woman curiously. 'Hm. So that wasn't the Valmese's doing...' She was once again snapped from her thoughts as the Swordsman rushed forth.

Flavia slammed her sword furiously into hers, trying to knock her off balance. However, the Valmese Swordsmaster proved to be far more observant than Flavia thought.

As if she had predicted that Flavia would retaliate with brute force, the Swordsmaster allowed the force of Flavias blade to slam into her own, causing her body to forcibly lean to her right side. The Swordsmaster utilized the momentum of her body's sudden reaction as she kicked her left leg up high, slamming her boot into Flavia's face.

Flavia's eyes shut as the foot made contact. Flavia quickly swung her sword in a wide arc, hoping to either slash at her if she sought to take advantage of the successful blow or merely create space.

The Swordsmaster evaded the slash, hopping backwards. She immediately rushed Flavia once more. The woman proved to be a tough adversary. She swung her sword at frightening speeds, in accurate strokes, pushing Flavia back.

Flavia was having trouble keeping up with the onslaught, minding her surroundings and knowing just how close she was from backing off the roots and into the waters below. The Swordmaster was swift and agile, but Flavia knew she had the advantage in terms of brute strength. It hadn't quite worked the first time, so she reassessed her strategy.

Flavia sidestepped a downwards slash and quickly pulled out her Short Axe with her opposite hand. She caught the Swordmaster's blade in her axe, the axe's irregular hook-like shape allowing her to lock the sword in place.

With a twist of her wrist and forceful tug, Flavia disarmed the Swordmaster. She brought both axe and sword over her head and cut downwards into a cross chop into the Swordmaster's chest. The woman let out a cry as the metal pierced her torso, falling to the ground.

Flavia's small victory was short lived, as a javelin sailed through the air and slashed at her thigh. Flavia gasped in pain as she clutched her leg, looking up to find 3 Pegasus Riders circling above. "Damn..." she panted, as she gripped her axe. She eyed the enemies, waiting for them to strike.

One of fliers spun around erratically, before falling into the water.

Flavia snapped her head to find a group of allied Archers lined up to take care of the aerial units.

The Pegasus Riders redirected their focus towards the Archers, evading the arrows that rained down upon them.

"Commander Flavia!" a Ylissean War Cleric yelled as he scurried over. He pulled out a staff and immediately tended to the Khan's wound.

Flavia, panted as her wound glew in a soft glow, sealing up. "I owe you one." she said with a gracious smile.

"Not at all, it's my duty." he said humbly.

"Hurry now, we need to defend our Archers." she spoke as she dashed towards her troops.

* * *

><p>Atop the Divine Mila Tree, the Valmese were discussing the ensuing invasion on their stronghold. They had just witnessed the gigantic lightning bolt plummet from the heavens.<p>

A Valmese Knight stood beside a larger armor clad man. "General Cervantes, they're encroaching on our territory from three fronts; To the North, East and South. Their forces at the southern end of the tree are vastly outnumbered. I'd say no more than fifty men." he reported.

The large General, Cervantes, stared down below from the ledge. He seemed more engaged with the hair upon his face than the battle brewing below. "50 men you say? And what of that glorious light show just now?" he asked, twirling the tips of his mustache.

The Knight looked unsure of how to break the news, fidgeting slightly. "About that, sir. It seems the bolt has wiped out an entire squadron of our men. The 50 men we speak of are unscathed and are advancing. So the logical conclusion..."

"Ho ho, so that was their doing, was it?" Cervantes said with a hearty laugh.

"What will you have us do? We've got another group of men readied at the base of the tree. Shall we have them march out?

"No, no. Have them take up positions where they stand. I believe that would be the wise decision."

"I-I don't mean to question your word, sir, but would it not be best to halt their advance?"

"Aye, it would be best. However, we've no intel on whatever weapon they have that caused all that destruction. The closer to the tree they are, the less likely they are to repeat that attack."

"...How do you figure?"

"Think about it lad. Why would the Ylisseans attack here of all places in Valm? Definitely not for any strategic geographical advantage. This tree is in the middle of nowhere, and as far as the masses are aware, days away from any major settlement."

"Why indeed..." The Knight said ponderously.

"What value does this location hold? Why were we stationed here?"

"...To ensure the Voice's captivity."

"Precisely. Lady Tiki is the only thing of any real significance here, and my bet is whatever plans they hold involves her in some manner."

"So they wouldn't wish to cause harm to the tree in fear of harming the Voice? But we were told this tree was nearly invulnerable to damage."

"Yes, and I'm sure the Ylisseans are well aware of the fact. But take into account the sheer size of the lightning bolt and the common knowledge that Lady Tiki is known to dwell at the top of the tree. Any miscalculation would cause the bolt to damage what lies on top as well as down below. If they're willing to risk pitting their forces against ours in order to secure Lady Tiki, they wouldn't be so careless as to jeopardize their entire mission in order to get rid of a few hundred men."

"...So with our forces having the higher ground and the Voice's presence, we should be able to crush them as they reach our defensive lines worry free."

Cervantes nodded. "Now that you've got the gist of it, alert all of our men to pull back and to stick near the tree's trunk."

"Aye, sir!" The Knight saluted before heading down.

Cervantes gazed at the battlefield below, his face showing no signs of intimidation or concern. He felt an odd presence behind him. "It appears as though things are going according to plan." he spoke as he turned around.

With a flash of light, a large man appeared before Cervantes.

The large round man wore a devious smile, clad in dark orange robes. "Eee hee, it seems that you've some wit about you to deduce the reason for the Ylisseans being here."

"When you've been left in the dark about the details of an impending invasion, your mind tends to be quite active." Cervantes said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh what difference does it make if I leave out such a detail? You said so yourself, things are going like planned. Those Ylisseans thought their movements after Valm Harbor went unnoticed? Ha! We merely drew them into marching into their own graves."

"It's only a matter of time before they're overtaken by our forces."

"Hee hee, it'll be much sooner than you think."

"What are you scheming now?"

"My _scheme_ will save us both time and men. You see, I've taken the liberty of paying a small visit to Fort Steiger. Upon notifying Pheros of the situation, she was glad to provide a wealth of her troops and send them here. As soon as those Ylissean fools gather 'round the base of the tree, struggling to breakthrough your defensive positions, Pheros' forces will rush in and annihilate them. Eee hee hee, those dogs will perish just within reach of their beacon of hope." The man laughed wickedly, seemingly proud of his swift response to the Ylisseans.

"It's a shame such cunning is wasted on such a... err man like yourself. To be frank the mere sight of you makes my insides curdle. "

The man grit his teeth. "Know your place, fool. As Walhart's Tactician, I am your superior. If you've any qualms about my position in the Empire, take it up with the Conqueror himself."

"Like I'd waste time pursuing anything to do with someone like you. Now, if we're all done here, I best be headed down myself." Cervantes said as he left the man.

"Tch, yes, just go on an ogle at that beloved hair of yours, you swine. Just know that you'd be dead had I not intervened." With that, the man vanished.

* * *

><p>The Shepherds sprinted across the massive roots, towards the tree.<p>

"They're not sending any more men after us." Chrom breathed as he ran.

"They probably figured that they'd be better off fighting around their own walls. I won't be able to use Mjolnir again anytime soon." Robin replied, keeping up with Chrom's pace.

The Shepherds' movements came to halt. The Valmese were gathered around the tree, prepared to hold them off when they charged.

Robin tried to get everyone's attention. "Let's take a moment to assess the situation. They don't look like they plan on sending any more men out just yet, and from here, we're out of their spells' and arrows' effective range."

The ceasefire held for awhile, both sides readying themselves.

In time, Basilio and Flavia's forces had also taken note of the Valmese receding back into the tree. They circled the tree's base at a safe distance. All three groups had finally met up after what seemed to them like ages.

"Bwa ha! Looks like we all made it to the party." Basilio laughed as he threw an arm around Chrom and Flavia.

"Hmph, I'm surprised you did." Flavia said jokingly.

"Well we've got these dastards with their backs against the wall. As things are now, they're practically hiding from us." Basilio chuckled.

Robin, who had been pacing around in deep thought, spoke up, "I don't know... This... None of this seems right." he said, voice filled with uncertainty.

"What? That the mighty Valmese Empire's got their tails between their legs?" Flavia asked.

"That's exactly it. Why are they acting so passively? From what our scouts and Say'ri told us, the Valmese have a very large number of men in the vicinity. That's why we tried to take them by surprise and get hold of the tree before they could properly react."

"So what are you saying? They knew we were coming? We've narrowly escaped nearly a hundered of their patrols the last few days. If they've spotted us, they would've taken action earlier." Flavia retorted.

Robin shook his head. He headed for one of horses carrying his belongings. He dug through the pack for a moment before pulling out a large map. "Say'ri, can you come over here for a moment?" he asked, waving at her frantically.

Say'ri hurried over to the Tactician. "How might I be of help?"

Robin straightened out the map on the floor. Basilio, Chrom and Flavia headed over as well.

Robin pointed to a spot on the map. "This is where we're at, correct?"

Say'ri nodded. "Aye, the Mila Tree."

Robin slid his finger across the map and pointed to a spot just a few spaces below. "And this. It's on the map yet it has no identifiable name or label."

Say'ri narrowed her eyes. "...I believe a town once stood there. If I'm not mistaken, it was the site of a massive slaughter. A town once called Steiger. It apparently resembled more of a large fortress than a town, as it had a massive wall surrounding a castle like structure inside. The very walls that kept whatever dangers at bay ended up trapping the inhabitants inside, as the Valmese swarmed the town. I believe there were survivors, but with amount of lives lost during the attack..."

Robin eyed the spot on the map. "So why isn't this area labeled on the map?"

"...During Walhart's conquest of Valm, he tore down several cities and reformed them into new ones. After Valm became his, he issued the publication of a series of new maps. Several towns were renamed as part of the annexation, while some others were completely erased. It would appear as though this particular map was created during the in between period of the Continent's transformation. The Steiger here exists, yet it doesn't..."

Robin pulled at his hair, shutting his eyes. "...Then it's very possible that this 'Steiger' is now a Valmese stronghold.."

The others' eyes widened in horror at the implication.

Flavia slowly spoke. "...T-that means... we rushed in here to catch them off guard, all the while another Valmese base is only a day's march away?"

Robin stomped his foot hard on the ground. "No, don't you get it!? We never had them off guard! They knew we were coming! That's why they're holding out within their walls! Because another army's already been sent to close in us... They're going to pin us down on the roots... And when that happens, they'll swarm us..."

The others wore aggravated looks of disbelief.

"Damn it!" Basilio barked, digging his axe into the ground.

Chrom finally looked up. "Robin... What do we do?"

Robin stared up at the massive tree in its entirety before turning around to gaze at the mountains.

They looked to Robin expectantly.

Robin hung his head, before finally speaking, "We retreat."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Plot Twist: *gasp* They 'lose'.**

**The Ylisseans now have to pull back from their little raid and find another way to rescue Tiki. How and when, you'll find out soon.**

**I am diverging from the story here (a bit) , and will add in a new element to this Arc, but it will still revolve around the Mila Tree.**

**Also, a certain dastard shows up a bit early.**

**This is going to change up a few things.**

**Sorry for the wait, and I hope you're all fine with the route change. I wanted to do something a bit different and fresh all the while sticking to the game's structure for the most part.**

**In other unrelated news, it would appear that in my drunken 21st birthday extravaganza this weekend, I somehow ended up buying Monster Hunter 4!? How the hell did that happen!? Oh well, the game's pretty dope. Just know that I did _not_ drive during these past nights of debauchery. We had a designated driver, and the dastard apparently just stood by and watched as I threw around my money :O Although I actually might have not been drunk _enough, _ as I didn't wake up to the wondrous site of the NEW 3DS XL along with the Monster Hunter 4...**

**See ya next time! **


	20. Naga's Voice 2

**DiSCLaImER: FIrE EMBLeM AND ITS CHaRACTERS BElONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Naga's Voice 2**

"We retreat," Robin muttered.

The the others looked on in shock as Robin stared lifelessly into the distance. They had been surprised that the famed Tactician would find himself backing out of a fight. Although filled with frustration, they knew that war was no game. Despite countless hours of planning, just the slightest of things is enough to turn any plan on its head.

Robin headed towards their forces to alert them of their retreat. "Everyone, as of right now, this mission is a failure." A chorus of gasps and questioning mutters filled the area. "This was all a trap... One that I led us into. We need to escape and rethink our strategy. I'm sorry..."

Chrom walked up to his sullen friend. "Alright, we'll pull back. Robin? Don't be too hard on yourself."

"How can I not be hard on myself? I'm your Tactician, yet I've led us into a slaughter!"

"Easy there, boy. No harm done here. There's no shame in turning back when you've got no ground left to walk on." Flavia said in consolation.

"No harm done? How many of our men have died on our way to the tree?!"

Basilio grabbed Robin by the shoulders. "None. I'd say we were lucky that they seemed to be holding back. Not a single one of my men has died in this march just yet." He turned over to Flavia who nodded, indicating no lives were lost under her as well. "And if we want to keep it that way, you need to pull your ass together." he said firmly.

"Yeah, Bubbles, lighten up."

"Even Ol'Teach has got his bad days."

"TO A HERO, DEFEAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN OPPORTUNITY TO SET UP A COUNTER ATTACK!"

"Nothing in this world is certain. No plan is fool proof. Life's filled with countless ever changing variables, and even for someone such as yourself, to think any plan can accommodate all those variables is simply absurd. No one's perfect, Robin."

"N-no one got hurt! That's a-all that matters!"

Robin shook his head. A part of him wanted to wallow in defeat, to accept the fact that he failed in his role. But how could he now? Despite the glaring failure in his plan, they all still placed their faith in him. He had no time to waste pitying himself. He had to make sure his friends were safe. No, Basilio was right. This wasn't defeat. The fight's just begun. The enemy was getting smarter, and so would he. His blood began to boil. He guiltily admitted to himself that he felt a small wave of excitement pass over him. Was it the fact that his comrades still believed in him? Or was it the prospect of him overcoming the Valmese's strategy despite the disastrous turn of events? To defeat whoever it was that saw right through his plans? Robin smirked inwardly, fiddling his fingers at his sides. "Let's pull back for now. We can kick their asses another day."

Laughter spread amongst the troops, everyone nodding in agreement.

"Let's make for the mountains to the west. I've reason to believe that another Valmese force is marching from the south."

The Ylisseans gave one last look at the mighty Mila Tree, vowing they would return for Lady Tiki, before setting off in retreat.

* * *

><p>"Hoho, seems like your <em>scheme<em> wasn't so perfect after all." Cervantes chuckled towards a presence looming around the tree top.

A round figure once again materialized before the Valmese General. "Tch, who's side are you on?"

"Oh? I'm just glad they halted their attack on our position. It almost seems like you want them to attack us. Who's side are _you_ on?"

The round man stomped a foot into the floor. "Shut up! Shut up you damned fool! Argh... those Ylissean dastards..."

Cervantes stroked his facial hail, smoothing it into long strands. "Hmm, it doesn't matter. They backed off and Lady Tiki is still under our subjugation. I'd say this victory was as good as any."

"To a lazy moron who'd rather groom himself, perhaps this would be enough. Have you no drive for greatness? Do you not long for glory, respect, fame?!"

"Not at all. It's not as if I'm... compensating for anything..." Cervantes finished slyly before breaking out into laughter.

The round man stayed silent before vanishing.

Cervantes stopped laughing and gripped the Tomahawk at his side.

With a flash, the round man appeared once again on the other side of Cervantes. The man raised a red tome into the air, the grimoire brimming with magical energy. Before it's charging could reach its paek, an object cut through the air straight and cleaved the tome in two.

A Tomahawk was embedded into a branch behind the man.

Cervantes glared at the man. "I've no time for your antics, Excellus. If you want attention, get your ass to the front lines. You may be our Tactician, but I am the General of this Army's division and you're standing within my fortress. I could kill you right now on the grounds of treason, for the attempted murder of one of Walhart's Generals."

The round man, Excellus, grit his teeth. He knew nothing more could be done for the moment. He vanished once again, this time for good.

* * *

><p>The Ylisseans trekked through the rugged terrain of the western mountains. Luckily, they avoided making any contact with the suspected enemy troops advancing from the south.<p>

Lucina marched alongside her mother, who had been on her pegasus. She stared at Robin. He appeared to be in deep thought, the guilt that momentarily overcame him upon the announcement of retreat was nowhere to be found. He had a strange look upon him. A look one would find on the face of one who was playing chess, that was desperately, yet calmly trying to figure out how to turn around a checkmate. If the situation caused Robin to take a blow to his ego, no one be able to tell now.

"You should go talk to him, dear." Sumia said with a soft smile.

Lucina was startled, having been caught staring. "Oh... he seems to be taking it rather well. I think he's fine..." she said, half lying.

"Well he does look okay. Even so, I think he'd appreciate having a friend to talk about it with for a little."

Lucina thought about it. "Maybe I should. Err, just in case." she said as she strode over to the Tactician.

"Even when we were moments away from a lethal pincer attack... You're unbelievable." Cordelia said dryly, her pegasus catching up to Sumia's.

"Heh, well I am a bit worried about him though. This is the first time he had to completely drop one of his plans."

"You're right." Cordelia thought for a moment on how their Tactician had just been bested for the first time.

Lucina walked beside Robin. He appeared to have been in too deep a thought to have noticed her presence.

"Robin."

"..."

"Roobiin."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Robin felt a pinch on his cheek. He turned his head to find Lucina with the look of a dejected child.

"What?"

"I've been calling for you a while."

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Lucina. Did you need something?"

"I just came to check up on you."

"...Why?"

"Because... well... because what happened..."

"It's fine, you can say it. I admit it, my plan was poorly thought out. It was an embarrassment that could've cost our lives."

"...You don't seem too bothered by it."

"Well I was at first, but why should I?"

Lucina was a bit startled at the words coming from him. This was the man who cried for the enemy forces once, yet now felt nothing at the thought that they could've been wiped out. "Robin, if something's bothering you, please, tell me." she said with concern.

Robin raised a brow. "Nothing's bothering me. I told you, I got over it."

"Got... over it?"

Robin nodded. "I felt like I was about to crumble when I finally figured out the situation. I thought that I failed. I got us killed. But then I realized something. What good was thinking like that going to do? We hadn't lost just yet, and none of us died. They said they needed me to pull myself together, and I did. So don't worry, I'm not about to go sulking in the corner over this. Like I said, we'll get them back later."

Lucina looked at Robin, still unsure of his rebound. "Okay... But if there's anything at all, I'm here for you."

Robin chuckled. "Hah, you know, you can be real cute when you try." he said, patting her head.

Lucina flushed. "Wh-what do you mean when I _try_? And why are you patting my head again?" she stammered, grabbing his hand.

"You were the one pinching me." Robin said, pinching Lucina's cheek with his free hand.

"H-hey!" Lucina pinched Robin's cheek yet again.

Not too long later, the two had both their hands upon one another's face, tugging forcefully.

"Robin, we'r..." Lissa stopped to find her niece and Robin in the midst of a heated physical confrontation.

The two momentarily halted their struggle, turning towards Lissa. "What!?" they asked in unison.

Lissa put her hands in front of her, trying to ward off the annoyed stares piercing her. "S-sorry! Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

Robin and Lucina looked at one another, releasing their hold on the other's face.

"No..." "I guess not..." they said in embarrassment.

Lissa laughed. "The heck? When did you guys get so chummy?"

"Nevermind that, did you need something?" Robin asked.

Lissa waved her hand. "No, it was nothing important. Libra was just going around handing some bread."

"Oh, I'm fine for the moment. Lucina?" Robin asked.

Lucina shook her head. "I'm okay as well."

Lissa stared between the two. "Hehe, okay then! So what were you two doing?"

They looked at each other once more. "We don't know," they said in sync.

Lissa snorted. "You two are adorable together."

Lucina's face tinged red. "Aunt Lissa!"

Robin merely raised his brows.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you two look so... so comfortable around one another."

"Do we, now?" Robin asked quizzically.

"*ahem* Surely you're merely overthinking things, Aunt Lissa."

"Find me another person in this army that can get our princess and our tactician engaged in a pinching match, then tell me I'm overthinking things." Lissa said, sticking her tongue out.

Lucina shook her head.

Robin chuckled. "Don't be silly, I'm pretty much her uncle."

The words rung in Lucina's ears. 'Robin...Uncle...' It didn't sound right. She might have gone as far as to say that it sounded disgusting. Not because she still had any ill will towards him, but for some other reason. A reason that seemed to escape her at this point. Lucina found herself frowning slightly.

Lissa laughed. "Yeah right. Come on Robin, you're telling me you don't find Lucy attractive?"

Whatever redness faded from Lucina's face from Lissa's previous comment came rushing right back. She looked down, peeking towards Robin from beneath her bangs, listening for how he would reply.

Robin on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the jokes. "What? Of course I do. I mean, Lucina's quite beautiful if you ask me," he said with a shrug.

Lissa laughed behind her hand, staring playfully at Lucina, whom she noticed had gotten quite silent.

Lucina kept walking, head down.

Robin took note of her sluggish posture. "Ah, sorry, Lucina." he said sheepishly, hoping their conversation hadn't offended her in anyway.

On the contrary, Lucina was in near panic. The whole situation was extremely awkward for her. Her face felt hot and her heart had been thumping loudly. The feeling had her very anxious. She passed it off as a case of extreme annoyance, continuing her march without speaking.

"Geez Robin, you've got no tact." Lissa said shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked in confusion.

"Well you better go calm her down. If you hurt my niece, Robin, remember that my Staff isn't just for healing." Lissa said with a sweet smile.

"I have no idea... You know what? Whatever." Robin said, waving off Lissa on his way to Lucina.

Lucina still had her down, walking forward mechanically.

"Lucina? Hey, you're not mad are you? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I just felt a little anxious earlier..."

"Huh? You? Anxious?" Robin asked with disbelief.

She nodded softly.

"Is it because what happened at the tree? Gods... I'm sorry." he said apologetically.

"No, no. I... don't think it was that. Maybe it's just the war. I've been training nonstop, so maybe all the stress is just catching up with me."

"Well likewise. If you ever need anything, I've got your back."

Lucina started to feel a little better, trying to calm her nerves. Deciding to steer the conversation away, she spoke up. "So what do you have planned?"

Robin sighed. "I haven't gotten into any planning yet. I've just been going over every advantage the Valmese have on us. When that's done, I'll start working from there."

Lucina put a hand to her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Well I believe we're not pressed for time. The Valmese are aware of our presence, and perhaps they may even know what we're after."

"That's true. Despite the situation, that takes the edge off a little on devising a strategy. We can think long and hard about how we're going to get up there. No doubt they're only going to bolster their defenses after this."

"I can see the tree itself being a problem. They'll be on the look out. Whenever we do come back, they'll see us from miles away."

"Another good point. You make a pretty good strategist." he said with praise.

Lucina giggled. "Well I was leading my friends for quite some time. With our numbers in comparison to theirs, we couldn't afford to be sloppy with our movements."

"Hm, your situation with the Risen seems awful like ours with the Valmese. In terms of being outnumbered that is. Do you have any ideas?"

Lucina smiled softly. She felt pride swell up within her, having their esteemed Tactician asking her for advice. "Well... I'll think about it. I must warn you though. Unlike the Risen, the Valmese are alive. They can think. What strategies I have made to deal with the Risen might not apply to the fight at hand."

"I guess."

"Well, at least we can rule out another surprise attack."

"...Why do you say that?"

"Huh? We've just established that the Valmese are expecting us. I doubt there's anyway we can catch them off guard now."

"Hah, maybe that's why planning yet another surprise attack sounds so enticing to me."

"I'm not following..."

"Think about it. In most situations, it's only logical that after a surprise attack fails, you either pull back or keep fighting. Either way, the real failure was not being able to capitalize on the enemy's unawareness."

"Logically. We've already lost the element of surprise. What good will sneaking up on them do if they know we're coming?"

"You see? I'd wager that's exactly what they think we're thinking."

"Oh? And what if that was what they thought we were thinking about what they were thinking about us?"

Robin took one glance at her smug face. "Shut up."

Lucina stuck her tongue out.

'There it is. Yep, looks like she's got a bit of Lissa in her too...' he thought.

"Hehe, I'm sorry, Robin. Do go on."

"Like I was saying, that's probably exactly what they're thinking we'd do. They believe after our plan failed, we'd just rely on force. For that reason, it may be even more effective to take them by surprise yet again. Yes, they're expecting us, but how about we give them something else?"

"...So you have a plan?"

"Nope. But now I've got something to work with." he said, flashing her a grin.

"You're welcome." Lucina said jokingly, folding her arms in false conceit.

Robin chuckled, mockingly bowing down to her once again.

Lucina lifted her Falchion, still in its scabbard, and tapped Robin's shoulder. "I hereby dub you, Sir Robin of Ylisse."

Robin straightened up, putting a hand to his chest. "I vow to stay beside you for eternity, making everyday a living hell."

Lucina gave him a funny look, then broke out into laughter.

Robin began to laugh as well. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh this much. He decided to hold off on any teasing and just enjoy the moment.

Lucina wiped a tear from her eye. "Promise me you won't actually say anything like that when the occasion arises. Taking you being wed for example." She began giggling at the thought of Robin on a church's steps, vowing to make his beloved's life hell.

Robin laughed again. "Well I'm just being honest. If I spend the rest of my life with her, it's best she knows what she's getting herself into."

"Gods have mercy on whatever poor girl that may be."

The Ylisseans continued their march in unusually high spirits. Their most recent confrontation had been both a failure, and a potential opportunity for an even more fearsome counter attack.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Those idiots. Those clueless idiots. Yes, I'm looking at you Robin and Lucina! **

**Seems like Sumia has got yet another partner in crime. I wonder what other two people will join Sumia's evil syndicate? I bet you would never guess who. *rolls eyes***

**Robin bounces back quite quickly. I'm not really a fan of characters that tend to be whiny and mopey at every bad thing that happens. Don't get me wrong, there will be more angsty Robin later, but that's when more stuff happens.**

**Excellus is being a douche again, but Cervantes puts him/her in his/her place. If the whole 'compensation' joke Cervantes made flew over your head, it's because Excellus is apparently a _eunuch_ (Look it up. Please. You'll probably regret it... Dream about it.)**

**Well, see ya next time!**


	21. Naga's Voice: Awakening

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND IT CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**Naga's Voice: Awakening**

The Ylisseans had crossed the mountains, taking refuge outside a nearby forest.

Lucina sat by a tree on the outskirts of their camp.

She was in the middle of a fierce internal struggle. It was something that had been troubling her for awhile now. These thoughts plagued her for weeks, although she had done her best to conceal them. As of now, none had yet to discover anything off about the princess. She believed these thoughts would only grow, as they were beginning to manifest themselves in her actions, little by little, consuming her very being. Lucina came to a certain conclusion. This was one battle she could never hope to win...

And for some reason, she smiled.

The thoughts that had been brewing in her mind as of late were not the usual doom and gloom of the dangers of the future. No, these thoughts were foreign to her. Something that both scared yet thrilled the young princess. After weeks of denial and holding back, she had finally admitted to herself; she may have fallen for a certain Tactician.

When it began, she did not know. All she knew was the very thought of him caused a stir within her body.

She tried her best to act warm, yet cordial, but his unique charm had been her undoing.

Perhaps somewhere between the snide comments, the sparring matches, the heartfelt moments of consolation, she found herself a glimmer of hope in the dreary world she had found herself in. He was a light in the dark.

Lucina pulled her hands to her chest, taking slow, shallow breaths. Thinking of him caused a surge of warmth within her. She rubbed her cheeks, a dazed expression on her face.

She thought about the early days of their acquaintance, when she had acted quite rude toward him. She mentally kicked herself for creating such a shaky first impression. She felt like she had been acting like some sort of ice queen. But it had been Robin that melted that ice.

"Robin..." she whispered longingly, as she gazed towards the camp.

Did he also have these thoughts? Maybe, just maybe, he too, didn't see her as just a friend. He had always been, despite his sharp tongue, warm and sincere with her. In fact, had it not been for his attitude, he would fit the bill of any storybook prince charming.

Lucina blushed, having just become painfully aware of the thoughts she had allowed to spill out.

'This is ridiculous... Robin... He wouldn't... How would he even react if I were to tell him how I felt?' She thought sullenly. 'He's... he's from a different time... This isn't right. He's my father's best friend! Our relationship... It would be forbidden.'

Lucina curled up her legs, hugging her knees while she rested her head upon them.

Her first love. Was it doomed to be a failure from the very start? She cursed the world, the stars, and the destiny that had pulled her along like so.

Life was cruel indeed.

_So, as long as it means we stop Grima... won't you stay with us and help to create our own future?_

From the far reaches of her mind, Robin's words from night of their meeting had echoed in her head.

Our own future. Her own future.

She slowly rose from her seated position and leaned back against the tree.

She would fight it. She would fight destiny once again. But this time, not for the future of the world. She would allow herself this one selfish wish and fight for the feelings pent up in her heart. She's been through too much to care about what her father or society would say about her feelings for Robin.

She would tell him how she felt. And perhaps, he had been harboring feelings of his own.

Lucina marched confidently down the hill, back to the campsite.

* * *

><p>Robin was once again hard at work in his tent, formulating a new strategy to combat the Valmese.<p>

He heard the flaps of his tent rustle.

Spinning around, he was met with Lucina, standing before him, arms behind her back.

"Lucina. What can I do for you?" He said, flashing her a boyish smile.

'Was he always this handsome...' Lucina felt her stomach go queasy. "Umm, just dropping by for a bit. I hope you don't mind the company." she said.

Robin took note of how uncharacteristically bashful Lucina had been acting. "...No, I don't mind. Take a seat on my bedroll."

Lucina smiled warmly at him, doing as told.

Robin opened up a small textbook on his desk. "So, what have you been up to today?"

Lucina laid herself back on his bed. "I was just... thinking about some things."

"Oh? Like what?"

Lucina turned to her side, away from Robin, and closed her eyes. "Robin... what do you think about me?"

Robin paused his reading for a moment to analyze what she had just said. "What... do you mean?"

Lucina lay motionless. "What do you think about me?"

Robin closed the book, scooting it aside. He leaned back in his chair. "I think... I think you're a very kind person. You're strong and fierce, yet graceful and delicate at the same time."

Lucina let out a small sigh.

Robin continued. "We didn't get along that well at first, but I've come to cherish our relationship."

"What else?" she asked pleadingly.

Robin was taken back by the question. He knew not why she had been asking him these things, but it seems there was something she was dying to know. He could feel his heart begin to pump loudly in his chest, yet kept his cool. "What else... You're beautiful... beautiful beyond belief. Inside and out. Your parents must be overjoyed to have someone like you as their daughter. I see why Chrom and Sumia can only look at you with such pride."

Lucina sat up, her bangs hiding her face. "Don't... please don't make this about them."

Robin cocked his head slightly, adjusting his position in his seat so he was now facing her. "...Lucina?"

"...feel..."

"Huh?"

"How...me..."

"I can't hear what you're saying, Lucina. Speak up."

Lucina raised her head, staring right into Robin's eyes. Her cheeks tinged with red.

Robin felt his face heat up. He had never seen her like this.

Lucina held her gaze on him, slowly but confidently speaking up. "Robin, how do you feel about me?"

As soon as the words reached his ears, Robin felt a warmth spark in his very core. "L-Lucina... What do you mean?" he breathed.

Her eyes began to water slightly, as she continued. "Robin... I... I think I'm in love with you.." She pulled her arms to her chest, and closed her eyes.

She trembled softly, awaiting his response to her feelings.

She sat there with her eyes closed for what seemed like an eternity. Darkness and silence were all her senses could pick up. Robin hadn't moved an inch from his seat.

Lucina bit her lip. 'I'm a fool... I'm such a fool... How could I even think it was possible...'

Tears slowly trailed down her pale cheeks.

She had been rejected. What more, she just may have gone and ruined one of the most meaningful friendships she's ever had.

Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her. They pulled her in and held her tightly.

Lucina opened her eyes to find Robin sitting beside her, holding her in a tight embrace.

"Robin..." she whispered softly.

Robin nuzzled his face into the top of her head. "Shh, it's okay." he mumbled into her hair.

Lucina's eyes began tearing up once again, as she wrapped her arms around the man she had slowly come to love.

The two sat in silence, in the warmth of each other's arms.

She felt his breath run down her neck and shivered.

Robin tilted his head off hers and put a hand to her chin. He turned her head to face him, then pressed his forehead against hers.

Lucina gazed, into his beautiful eyes, nearly breathless at their close proximity.

Robin slowly closed his eyes. "Am I a bad person?"

Lucina was about to dismiss his question, but Robin continued.

"Am I a bad person, to have allowed myself to fall so helplessly in love with my best friend's daughter?" he whispered, opening his eyes.

Lucina gasped. She brought a hand to Robin's cheek. She merely shook her head.

Robin smiled, closing his eyes as he closed the small distance between their faces.

Lucina's heart was pounding erratically as Robin leaned into her. She closed her eyes and accepted him.

She felt his warm lips press against hers.

She pushed into him, pulling him closer by the collar of his shirt.

After a minute, they broke their kiss, panting heavily.

Robin smiled lovingly at her, pulling her into a hug and laying down onto the bed. "I...I can't believe this. You feel the same way..."

Lucina pecked his lips once more. "I've felt this way for a while now. I just finally took notice of it."

Robin chuckled. "And I'm glad you did. It may sound cheesy, but Lucina, you're my everything. I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I guess love does work in mysterious ways."

Lucina giggled. "You're quite the charmer."

"Only for you." Robin pulled her head into his chest.

Lucina lay quietly, content with her new found lover.

"You do realize there's something very important we need to do now that we've come to terms with each other." Robin said.

Lucina nuzzled his chest. "I'm sure father wasn't serious about killing the man I love."

Robin broke off the hug. He flipped Lucina on her back and leaned over her. "That's not what I meant." he asked seriously, yet warmly.

Lucina narrowed her eyes. "Could you mean..."

Robin licked his lips, and with a seductive growl, "_We must hurry and give Sumia grandchildren._"

* * *

><p>"SUMIA! Wake up! We're stopping." Cordelia said, shaking her friend awake.<p>

Sumia lifted her head off her pegasus sleepily. She looked around. The army was still in the middle of their retreat from the Mila Tree. Their troops had halted momentarily.

She had felt a bit tired and asked Cordelia to ride beside her, in order to help steer her mount while she took a short nap.

Sumia rubbed her eyes. "Cordelia, why'd you have to go and wake me at the best part?" she pouted.

"Best... Part?" Cordelia asked with a raised brow.

Sumia nodded. "I had the most wonderful dream! It was finally getting good until you came and ruined it."

Cordelia glanced upon the eerie smile on her friend's face. "Sumia, dear, please go seek Libra at once. Go find him and pray for forgiveness before your soul is damned for eternity."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**[INSERT TROLL FACE HERE]**

**You all just got #SUMIA'D**

**Oh, how much do you people hate me for doing this? :P**

**Yes, the chapter's called 'Awakening' for a reason. *rimshot***

**I think most of you should have caught on to how suspicious this chapter was from the beginning. Lucina suddenly realizing her feelings for her beloved ****Robin-senpai? Or the fact that I never really got into how she fell for him?**

**I just decided to treat ya to a little Robin/Lucina tease as well as have some fun myself. **

**Just as a reminder, Sumia was able to dream up Robin's quote from Chapter 2 as she was there with the other's when he said it.**

**Well, at least it give me the chance to write up a fluffy Robin/Lucina moment.**

**Lol I hope you all aren't too mad at me! However, I'm not going to promise something like this _won't_ happen again in the future.**

**If you still plan to continue reading after this travesty, I'll see you next time!**


	22. Naga's Voice 3

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.**

**A/N: Moving on from last time's rage inducing chapter, I bring you this! Just a heads up, 'Naga's Voice' is potentially going to be the longest arc yet. If you include the last chapter, this arc already has 4! Coupled with the fact that they still need to organize a strategy to save Tiki, everything in between, the new material I'm going to introduce and you get a pretty lengthy arc. I'm also going to devote some time to the other characters. I won't necessarily be focusing an entire chapter on them, but I will put more of the neglected characters in this fic into the spotlight. Surprises abound! There will be a lot of stuff that doesn't happen in the game, so I hope I can keep you on your toes. If you're still reading this extremely long introductory A/N, good job, but there'll probably be even more at the end. **

**I command you to enjoy this chapter.**

**Naga's Voice 3**

Robin let out a laugh. "Looks like Cordelia's chewing your mother out again. I wonder what she did this time."

Lucina rested a palm on her head and groaned. "It's been happening more and more lately. Sometimes I wonder just what goes on in mother's head. She's lucky she's adorable..."

"Ehh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. That's how the Shepherds are. There's a chain of command for chewing people out. Cordelia usually never allows room for error so she's somewhere at the top. She berates your mother, who in turns gives your father an earful. Chrom then comes taking it out on me, and I usually go to Stahl because he can take it."

"What manner of hierarchy is that?"

"One that can prove viscous on a bad day. I can go on and on about who gets to talk down to who, but I'll leave it on the note that Vaike's usually at the bottom of the ladder."

"When you put things that way, the Shepherds sound more like a crowd at some tavern than a militia."

Robin shrugged. "That's how it is. Although we lead Ylisse's army, as a unit, we're just a ragtag group of friends."

"But, isn't that what makes us Shepherds?"

Robin smiled. "Exactly. "

Owain, Severa and Kjelle walked up to them.

"Here you two are." Kjelle said.

Lucina turned to them. "Were you looking for us?"

Severa folded her arms. "Only for a good thirty minutes now. We spend all that time wading through thousands of people to find you comfortably marching up front, talking... to him?"

Robin narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're hanging around Lucina way too much. She was our friend first." Severa huffed.

Lucina shook her head. Severa could be a real child sometimes.

"I technically met Lucina before any of you were born, so..." Robin deadpanned.

"Figures you'd use this time travel mumbo jumbo to your advantage. You're a real know-it-all aren't you?"

"I'm a Tactician, so..."

"There you go again, dropping your title like that. Do you bring that up every conversation? Do you try picking up girls like that? Have you ever even had a girlfriend?" Severa asked smugly.

Robin flushed at the personal attacks. "Now listen here you litt-"

"Look at me, I'm a big tactical jerk. I've got fame and prestige, yet I can't even chat up a girl!" Severa said mockingly.

Lucina couldn't help but laugh at the tight spot Robin had been put into.

Robin was in utter disbelief. What he had done to land himself in this situation? "H-hey! Stop that! I'll... I'll tell your parents about this." he threatened.

"Laaaame." Kjelle said, hands cupped at both ends of her mouth helping to project her voice.

Robin grit his teeth.

"My, my. Is Robin really getting pushed around? What happened to your usual wit?" Lucina asked with a grin.

"Hmph, not like I can use logic to combat nonsense..." he grumbled.

Owain patted Robin on the back. "Cut that out, guys. Robin's a hero if I've ever seen one." he said, putting his faith in the Tactician. "Go on, Robin. Tell them just how many maidens you've entranced with the tales of your endeavors."

Robin visibly slumped, a lifeless look in his eyes.

The girls couldn't help but laugh at the state the Tactician had been reduced to.

Owain look dumbfounded when his attempt to cheer him up failed. Taking pity on his new friend, Owain pulled Robin away from the group of femme fatales.

* * *

><p>The Ylissean army had stopped to take a much needed reprieve from their hasty march. Many soldiers took the time to get some food and a drink or simply rest their tired feet.<p>

Chrom was gathered with Say'ri, Frederick, Basilio, and Flavia.

"Okay, time for a little meeting." Chrom started.

"Oy, is it okay to do so without our Tactician?" Basilio asked.

"It's fine. We won't be discussing anything that requires his expertise. Besides, he may look fine, but I think he can use a short break. Robin's got a thick skull, and he doesn't go down without swinging. Despite that, he's more fragile than he likes to let on, especially regarding work related matters. He takes his job seriously, and likes to keep his problems to himself. He knows our moral is key in winning this war, so he'd rather shut himself off." Chrom explained.

Say'ri pondered the revelation about Robin. "Would it not be best for us to lend him our support rather than to just go on and let him deal with such issues alone?"

Chrom shook his head. "Like I said, Robin's real stubborn, but I agree. Last time I saw him he was chatting with my daughter. Those two have hit it off, much to my pleasure, and I'm sure he appreciates her company. Let's just let him drown out his sorrows with his friends for the time being." he said, a hint of pride in his voice, for his daughter's compassion.

Basilio narrowed his eyes and grinned. "With how you say it, sounds like it won't be long until consoling isn't all she'll be doing." he muttered.

Flavia elbowed Basilio hard in the side, the large man clutching his ribs.

Chrom raised a brow. "Huh? What was that?"

"N-no it's nothing." Basilio muttered, threatened by the annoyed look on his fellow Khan.

"Right..." Chrom said slowly, not having caught Basilio's words. "Anyways, I wanted to talk about our destination. Say'ri, is their anywhere in our direction suitable for concealing our numbers?"

"Why not just find a town?" Basilio grumbled, rubbing his side.

"We don't know if, and how long the Valmese will pursue us. I don;t want to drag some town into our fighting if it comes to that." Chrom said.

Say'ri scanned over the map she had just pulled out. "As soon as we cross the mountains, there's a large forest."

"That seems like a blatantly obvious place to hide." Frederick said, peering over her shoulder.

Say'ri nodded in agreement. "Luckily this map is off the 'old' Valm. There's many places on here that probably won't show up on that of the Valmese's. For example," Say'ri pointed to a spot on the map, "Just beyond the mountains, in the forest a little to the north, there should be an old coal mine."

"A coal mine you say? A sound place to make base, but will it be large enough to house all of us?"

Say'ri nodded. "The nearby towns had their own sections of the mine. In time, the tunnels had interconnected."

Chrom thought about it. "Is it safe? This mine?"

Say'ri nodded once more. "How is it you think I know about such place? Long abandoned, this mine had been the previous headquarters for the Resistance members. They were... the ones who had once occupied Valm Harbor." Say'ri showed uneasiness, having remembered the entire branch had been wiped out by Farber.

"Was there any particular reason they abandoned their positions there?"

"The reason they left was lack of Valmese activity near the area. Their branch had specialized in espionage, and had thought Valm Harbor was a more suitable location for their operations."

"If the Resistance left because of _lack of Valmese,_ then call me crazy milord, but I believe we would be quite safe there for the time being." Frederick chimed in, offering his approval of the idea.

Chrom turned to Basilio and Flavia.

"If we don't want to drag any civilians into this, I'd see it's our best bet." said Flavia.

"Anything's fine with me as long as I can get some proper sleep for once. Waiting in those damned mountains... We couldn't even set up camp with all those narrow cliffs!" Basilio approved.

"Alright, it's settled. We'll leave the actual planning for after we arrive." Chrom said as he dismissed them.

* * *

><p>"Gaius, can you hold still?" said an annoyed Cordelia.<p>

"I already combed my hair, dear." Gaius whined.

During the momentary break, Cordelia had left her fatally delusional friend, and went to check up on her husband to be.

"Yes, this morning, before the battle." Cordelia said pointedly.

"Agh, why do I got to care about how I look anymore? I mean I already have you." Gaius said with a grin.

Cordelia blushed. "There's that silver tongue again." she muttered, running the comb through his orange locks. She noticed Severa walking towards them through the crowd. "Hello, darling. Weren't you with your friends a moment ago?"

Severa waved off the question. "What? You're saying you don't want to spend a little time with your pride and joy?"

Gaius smirked. "She already is." he said as he jabbed his thumb to his chest.

Severa groaned. "Shut up, dad."

Gaius got up from his seat, much to Cordelia's disapproval. He walked over to his daughter and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You know I'm just playing with you, kiddo." he said, ruffling her hair.

Severa smiled softly, before hugging her dad.

Gaius chuckled.

Cordelia felt her heart warm at the sight. In one day, she had been proposed to and had found out she had a daughter. Long ago, she had given up chasing after a certain someone, and now knew she made the right decision. Gaius, surprisingly, made a quite the father. Her daughter, while sometimes a bit offputting, could be sweet and kind. She had a new reason to fight. To make sure she and her family saw the war through to the end, so they could live peaceful, happy lives.

"Looks like your mother is having one her moments of reflection." Gaius said with a grin.

Severa snickered.

Cordelia frowned. "What? I can't think about how lovely my family is?" she said, folding her arms.

Gaius looked between his wife and daughter. "Wow, so that's where you get that from."

Severa let go of her father, standing beside her mother, also crossing her arms. "Get what?" she asked sharply.

Gaius stared at the two seemingly identical women. "Gods help me..." he muttered nervously under his breath.

* * *

><p>"Lucina, there you are." Chrom said, strolling over to his daughter.<p>

"Father, hello." she said with a smile. "Can I do something for you?"

Chrom shook his head. "No, I'm just checking up on you. So how are you feeling about all of this?"

"Well, I'm doing fine, I guess. I'd say it's fortunate that we pulled back just on time."

"I agree. We're lucky Robin realized what was going on in time."

"EVen though it was his fault to begin with?" she laughed.

Chrom smiled sadly. "Don't be too hard on him. His job can be extremely overwhelming. Despite his success so far, it'd be unrealistic to expect nothing to go wrong."

"Ah, I was merely... joking. I know very well how hard Robin works himself." she said, a bit guilty her words had made it seem like she was belittling her friend.

Chrom rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know. I'm glad you two are getting along." Chrom started to laugh.

Lucina looked puzzled. "Father?"

"No, it's nothing. I was just remembering the time I made you two have that little sparring match. Who would've known a sword fight would be finished with a slap?"

Lucina flushed at the memory. "F-father, please. Wait, so you _did_ set that match up on purpose." she said, narrowing her eyes.

Chrom rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I did. I was just worried. You two seemed a little hostile at the time, so I was hoping to break the ice."

"By having your friend and daughter beat each other senseless?" she retorted.

"No! I was just hoping you two would bond a little."

"And remember how well that plan worked." she said, rolling her eyes.

Chrom gulped. "H-hey, I said I was trying to help. Geez, you two _do_ get along now. It seems Robin's sharp tongue has rubbed off on you."

Lucina flinched. "I-I apologize, father. I hadn't meant to sound rude."

"Heh, don't worry about it. I think it's a good quality for a girl to speak her mind freely."

"Thank you, father." she said shyly.

"Thank _you_, for being such a wonderful daughter. I know I've told you this plenty of times, but your mother and I couldn't be happier to have you with us. We love you." Chrom said, pulling her into a hug.

Lucina rested her head against her father's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Owain had taken Robin to the side. "Cheer up, they were just messing around. Trust me, when they get started up, they're usually far worse than that."<p>

Robin sat on a boulder on the side of the path, taking a sip from his flask of alcohol. It was a gift from Gregor, who told him that alcohol was the best medecine for any problem. "Yeah, I know. Just took me by surprise is all. Funny, I'm supposed to be directing an army, yet I can't deal with a bunch of kids."

Owain shrugged. "Well we may be the Shepherd's children, but we're definitely not kids."

"Ah, that's right. I apologize. Curse this time travel logic." Robin said with a sigh.

Owain chuckled. "Don't worry about Severa. She's a bit rough at first, but she'll come around. When you get to know her, she can be pretty sweet."

"Oh? What is this I'm sensing?" Robin asked with a sly grin.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Robin shook his head. "Nevermind. So she's always like that?"

Owain nodded. "It's just how she is, I guess. Well, she and the others look up to Lucina quite a bit, so I wouldn't blame her for thinking her beloved leader was being stolen away by some stranger."

Robin thought about, playing the words over in his head. "I suppose... What's this about me being a stranger though?"

"Well, exactly how it sounds. You're a pretty swell guy, mister Robin, but we did just meet you a few days ago after all."

Robin was dumbfounded, the conversation slowly getting more and more uncomfortable with its implications. "Yes, but wouldn't that be the case for the rest of the Shepherds as well? I mean, you meet me the same time as them."

"But we knew all of them in the future. This is our first time meeting you. Perhaps us coming back in time changed more than we thought..." Owain said, ponderously.

Robin felt cold sweat run down his back. '...First time meeting. I-I wasn't around in the future?'

Thoughts raced through his head. Thoughts about his amnesia, Validar and the future.

He was overwhelmed by things he only dare even touch upon.

He turned his head, catching sight of Lucina and Chrom in the midst of father-daughter bonding.

_'You weren't around much.'_

He laughed softly. "Who am I?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A brief little moment between a few people.**

**It was more of a Support Log type chapter than anything.**

**Looks like Robin's got a storm brewing in front of him. He finds out Lucina's been lying about him from the future! What will happen next? Will they talk it over in a civil manner? Will they get into a sword fight? Perhaps distance will be created between them once again? Or will they just end up making sweet, sweet love?**

**Find out next time!**


	23. Naga's Voice 4

**DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO**

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I was recently kidnapped.**

**Naga's Voice 4**

They had arrived at the mine. The large network of tunnels was more than enough space for their forces. There had been several beds and other supplies that were left behind the by the hideout's previous occupants. The Ylisseans rested themselves, deciding to leave any planning for the next day.

Lucina, having just finished eating a meal with her parents, headed towards the mine's entrance for some fresh air.

She saw Robin leaning against the wall of the entrance. She snuck up behind him, playfully poking him in the back.

Robin merely turned his head to look at her.

The smile that was on her face dissipated as she saw the lifeless look in his eyes. "Robin? What's wrong?"

Robin fixed his eyes back onto the forest. He remained silent.

"Robin?"

He sighed, growing slightly annoyed by the disturbance. "I've got a few things on my mind is all," he said, waving a hand.

Lucina had picked up on Robin's nonverbal queues. It was clear that he wanted to be alone at the moment, yet she felt as if she couldn't bring herself to leave him there. She had grown accustomed to lending an ear to his problems. "Strategizing, are you? You should take a break. Just get some rest for the remainder of the night."

"That's not what's bothering me."

"Care to share what is?"

Robin adjusted his posture, leaning against the wall on his back to face her. "Lucina, remind me why I was always _busy_ in the future."

The question had blindsided her. She had not been expecting the subject to be touched upon so randomly. After getting to know him, she decided he couldn't be who she dreaded. She decided it was best to leave out any troubling details about his absence in her time. "...Like I said, you were busy with work. You would often travel from city to city, even across the ocean to vi-"

"Cut the shit, Lucina." Robin spat.

Lucina was visibly shaken at his harsh outburst.

"Owain already told me. Apparently I'm not a Shepherd where you all came from? That none of you knew me?"

"...I didn't think it had to be brought up."

"And why the hell not? You've heard about my situation with my amnesia! I don't even know who I am for crying out loud! If I could learn anything, anything from the future, maybe I could piece together who I was."

"Robin, that's enough! It doesn't matter who you were in my time. What matters is who you are right here, right now." Lucina spoke softly, walking up to Robin and putting an arm around the troubled man's shoulder.

"But is that really true? What if I'm the enemy, Lucina? What if the reason I wasn't around in the future was because I fought against Ylisse? What if my memories come back? Will I still be me? What if I end up hurting all of yo-"

Robin was cut off as Lucina threw both arms around him. "Shut up. Just shut up!"

"..."

"After everything that's happened... I don't believe... Just stop this, Robin." Her voice trembled slightly.

Robin shook off her grip, taking a few steps back. "No, I'm not going to stop. Not until I have all of this sorted out. Sure, I can just play it safe and have some fairy tale ending where I simply ignore all of the hardships life's put before me, merely relying on my friends. But you know very well that's not how this world works, Lucina."

"..."

"I'll find out the truth. And once I have, I'll decide what to do with myself from there."

"...You're being selfish." she said, through grit teeth.

"It's my life, Lucina. You all have your own problems to deal with. I know we said we'd all have each other's backs... but some things can't be left to anyone else but yourself."

"That doesn't mean we can't help you on the way there!" Lucina snapped.

"..."

"I understand this is your own journey, but don't overlook the fact that you've entangled other's lives with yours on the way. You can't just walk into m... our lives and expect to leave whenever it pleases you. I don't know what you plan on doing if the truth turns out to be something different from what you wanted, but don't you dare do anything stupid for the sake of 'protecting us.' It would... it would hurt just as bad if we were to find out that our friend suffered alone just to protect us." Lucina, held strong to the words pouring from her mouths, tears streaming from her face. "We don't need you to protect us, Robin. We're Shepherds."

Robin, stared silently at the weeping girl. He walked back to her, wiping a tear from her face. "Crying doesn't suit you."

Lucina buried her face in his chest.

Robin stared off into the forest.

"If I truly do become a threat to us all, you have my permission to take my life."

"It will never come to that. We're all here for you. I'm here for you."

"I mean it Lucina. If it does happen, end me."

"I'll kill you right now if you keep talking like this." She muttered into him.

The frown on Robin's face couldn't help but turn upwards at the girl's stubbornness. Perhaps since he was just as stubborn himself.

Robin snaked an arm around her back, his other rubbing the back of her head.

The two stood like that for several minutes, neither saying a word.

Lucina still held her bear hug on him, but Robin could feel her rigidness leave as she eased into him.

Robin removed his hands, waiting for her to do the same. Finding that Lucina still held the position, he sighed. "Have you any plans of letting go?"

"Not until I'm sure you're back to normal," her muffled voice said from his shirt.

Robin rolled his eyes, backing up to the wall, Lucina, still gripping him, followed. "Alright, alright. But I'd rather not stand around." he said, as he slowly lowered himself against the wall into a seated position.

He felt a warmth in his chest. Perhaps Lucina's confined breathing. Robin stroked her once again. He noticed that she ever so slightly moved her head in sync with his hand. He smiled. "I told you baby Lucina liked being rubbed here."

"Do you really think of me as a kid?" he heard her say.

Robin was surprised by the question. "I was joking of course. I'm sure you were... were forced to grow up rather abruptly."

He felt her nod her head. "I was. We all were."

"You're a brave girl.. err woman. Definitely not someone to be taken lightly."

Lucina chuckled. "So I'm a woman, now am I?"

Robin's face flushed, as the exchange had made him painfully aware of the situation they were in at the moment. He mentally slapped himself. 'Gods I'm an idiot. She's Chrom's daughter, but this isn't some kid I'm dealing with here.' This was indeed no child clinging to him, but a full grown woman.

Robin cleared his throat. "Uhh, umm. So, um, how old _are_ you anyways?" he asked rather awkwardly. Despite their friendship, there was still several things, even minute details he'd yet to know about her.

Lucina finally pulled her head away from his chest. She squinted her eyes at him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Oh? Why do _you_ want to know?"

Robin gulped, face still hot. He could've sworn he saw her purposely bat her eyelashes.

Another truth dawned upon him. He had created a monster. He had once told her to be more open with others, even crack a few jokes here an there. He once found an almost sadistic sense of joy in being able to make the princess fluster. But, who would've thought that in a few weeks time, she would've been one of the few people to be able to match his smart mouthed japes? The future had indeed armed this girl with the ability to adapt to any environment. She was a tactician in her own right. One dead set on making him look like a fool any chance she got.

However, he would not back down from an apparent challenge. If it was a battle of wits she wanted, that was exactly what he'd give her.

Instantaneously recovering from the preemptive strike, Robin spoke. "No reason. Just wanted to know a little more about the beautiful woman in my arms."

It was Lucina's turn to flush. Hearing him once again call her 'beautiful' had elicited a similar reaction as before. However, one look at the jerk's face made her aware of the battle she had unknowingly sparked. Ignoring her pounding heart, Lucina narrowed her eyes once more. "You should count yourself lucky that someone like me would allow the closeness we share right now." she said, further leaning into him.

'What is she!? Some kind of narcissist!?' Robin yelled in his head. 'No. No, she's good. She fully intends on winning this one.' Robin pulled her closer. "Yes, I believe I should count myself lucky." he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Lucina held her ground, running her hand over his. "Look who's acting like a man all of a sudden. From how you reacted to what Severa said, I'd say this is a first for you." she said with an evil smile.

Robin masked his grit teeth behind a smile. "Oh, no. It's like Owain said. You wouldn't believe how many woman love 'a man in uniform'. You should have seen me in Ylissetol." A lie. A shameless, terrible lie. Shame.

Lucina rolled her eyes. "Really. Well, I doubt even someone like yourself would be enough for me. I err... had flocks of suitors chasing me around the castle. I was known as Ylisse's heartbreaker" she huffed, flipping her hair to one side. Another shameless lie. Shame. Shame. Shame.

The two put up a long struggle, trying to get the best of the other. They exchanged verbals jabs, all the while wearing sweet smiles on their faces. On the inside, however, they felt as if they were on the brink of mental strain.

After minutes of nonsensical one upping, Lucina had once again reduced the Tactician to stuttering blabber. "H-hey, you listen here. Y-you may be 20, but I'm still the adult here y-you damned brat!" he fumed.

Lucina felt her blood boil at being demoted from woman, to brat, in only a few minute's time. "Tch, whatever you say, cherry boy."

"W-what the hell d-did you call me?"

"You heard me. I don't believe you have any experience with girls."

"T-this again? I already told you I have!"

"Psh, how are you going to prove that?" She grinned, mercilessly challenging him.

Robin's mind was overworking itself to extremes, desperately racking for ideas to get himself out of this. "Y-you want me to prove it to you?"

"I do."

"Really now."

"I believe so."

As soon as the words left Lucina's mouth, Robin leaned forward, pressing his lips on hers.

Lucina nearly gasped at the suddenness. Robin's eyes were shut tight, as he pushed into her. After fidgeting for a moment, Lucina slowly closed her own eyes.

The moment didn't last, as Basilio could be heard yelling from within the mines, 'where's Robin?'

Robin pulled back, catching his breath. In truth, he was beyond embarrassed of what had just transpired. He had just kissed her. He mentally scolded himself for his brashness. For some reason, he found himself getting reckless whenever she was around. She was the only person to have push him to such extremes in such a way. Deciding to hold his ground, he reassured himself that her smug ass deserved it. He looked at her, "How was that, princess?"

Lucina appeared to be in a daze. A hand to her chest. She slowly got up and turned around.

The guilt came rushing back as Robin stood up to stop her. "H-hey wait. Lucina! I'm sorry about that."

The game of theirs was over. And it appears Robin's actions may have earned him a loss in the worst possible way.

Lucina slowly walked away. She stopped a few meters away. "It's... okay. Thank you. For making me feel like a normal girl for once."

Robin's cheeks reddened once again. "Lucina..."

Lucina turned around, a heart melting smile on her face. "Thank you... You pedophile."

Robin's jaw hung open, his eyes dead.

The smile on her face slowly contorted to that of wickedness, as she turned to leave.

The game of theirs was indeed over. The victor decided.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here's a little something for the wait. Just cant have a Robin/Lucina moment without a little fight.**

**You'll get to see how they felt about the little kiss in the next chapter.**


End file.
